


The Dilf Next Door

by miltonicsimile



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Attempts at Adulting, Awkward Flirting, Babysitting, Clubbing, Dad Jokes, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Eventual Smut, Kid Fic, M/M, MinWon - Freeform, Misunderstandings, Pining, Single Parents, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, meanie, mingyu is a hot mess, mingyu wants dilf dick & everyone judges him, verkwan crumbs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 39,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23335825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miltonicsimile/pseuds/miltonicsimile
Summary: Mingyu's neighbour is like gochujang: both hot and sweet. And he has an adorable daughter. It isn't soon before Mingyu doesn't know who he loves more.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 60
Kudos: 265





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> again....i started writing this last year and have been ignoring it but am now bored at home....so.....
> 
> also ignore errors...im literally posting this without looking at it...last edit was december lmao...dont judge me
> 
> me: ha you've heard of exo next door, now get ready for THIS

The simple truth is Mingyu loves sleeping.

 _God,_ he loves sleeping so much. And one of the things he prides himself on is being able to drag out every second in bed in the morning and still get places on time. Usually. Today he isn’t lucky: he’s slept in.

He’s in a rush, running late for work and fumbling to lock his apartment door. His keys of course suddenly don’t want to cooperate. It’s like they _want_ him to get scolded by Jeonghan for being late (again).

His hair is still wet from the quick shower he took, and his bag is heavy with schoolbooks he tells himself he’ll read during his break. (Despite sleep being so high on his priority list, he still manages school and other responsibilities quite well. Usually.). 

Mingyu isn’t even considering how loudly his apartment door had slammed shut, or how it probably woke Seungkwan. His mind is a frenzied mess, focusing on trying to get to work on time with everything else faded into the background. That all is Future Mingyu’s problem.

Just as the lock finally makes a definitive clicking sound, he’s startled back into the present when Mingyu feels a tug on the leg of his jeans.

“ _Jeon Misun_!” A man’s deep voice groans in frustration from down the hall.

He looks down and sees a baby – a _little girl_ \- with dark curious eyes and long lashes looking up at him, a pacifier in her mouth. Her wispy looking dark hair is in a tiny ponytail that looks a little ridiculous, but also _ridiculously cute._ _T_ here also appears to be something half dried and light pink on her round cheek. Yogurt, maybe.

 _Breakfast_ , Mingyu thinks. He should’ve eaten too. Maybe he can sneak a snack once he gets to work. There are always day-old leftovers laying around unless someone already took them home or helped themselves. First come, first served.

Despite his rush, at the sight of the baby, he freezes. He lets out a soft gasp in surprise, a smile spreading across his face. She’s just too precious. The little girl, Misun apparently, reaches up and tugs on his jeans again and his smile widens because _he sure as_ _hell_ _has a soft spot for kids._

He’s about to crouch down and say hello, his train and Jeonghan be _damned_ , when a man trots over and swoops the little girl up into his arms in one quick motion.

“Sorry about that,” he says to Mingyu, a crooked smile on his face. He’s tall and slim in a fitted professional suit, his features similarly narrow and refined. Elegant. A pair of round gold glasses sit on the bridge of his nose. “She’s getting to the age where she’s finally moving, and I’m not yet used to it. Always sneaking off, aren’t you Misun?” He directs this to the little girl, his presumable daughter, who just smirks up at him despite the pacifier in her mouth and a dimple in one of her round cheeks. They have the same hooded eyes, reflecting back at each other in equal adoration.

The entire scene has Mingyu’s heart absolutely aching. He hadn’t prepared for this type of cuteness so early in the morning. Or at all. He hadn’t prepared for anything today, considering he’s slept in. And the longer he looks at the other man, the more he realizes how damn _attractive_ he is. And how despite his professional attire, he doesn’t actually look that much older than Mingyu.

“Well, uh, I’m Wonwoo,” the man says, somehow managing half a bow while holding the little girl. “I live two doors down. I just moved in a few weeks ago.”

Mingyu nods and bows in turn, mumbling his introduction. “Your daughter is adorable,” he adds, smiling some more. He leaves out the part about Wonwoo being adorable too. His cheeks warm, blushing at the smallest things, as always. If Seungkwan were here he’d surely be teasing him about it.

“I know, it’s ridiculous how much trouble being adorable manages to get her out of. She _knows_ she’s cute, I swear. She’s smarter than any nine-month-old should be,” Wonwoo says with a shake of his head. “Anyway, we should get going. We’re already going to be late to daycare.”

With that, Mingyu waves an awkward goodbye. “Have a good day,” he says, watching his cute neighbours disappear into the elevator.

+

He spends the entire morning trying to make it up to Jeonghan who scolds him for being late. This isn’t the first time he’s been late with how many balls he’s juggling with school, friends, and work.

Later though, Jeonghan sneaks him a croissant sandwich and gives him a pat on the bum. Jeonghan’s own way of showing affection. He’s something between a naughty uncle figure and a scheming older brother. Still, when he heard Mingyu hasn’t had breakfast, he was fast to find something for him to eat.

Jeonghan is too young and good looking to be managing a bakery, but his older cousin is the owner and Jeonghan has the face and personality to sell things. His business degree that hangs on the wall in his office declares him as more than qualified. He’s also, in Mingyu’s opinion, unfairly thin for someone who spends most of his days around the most delectable desserts.

But as the food shows, Jeonghan cares about his staff even if he would never admit it. Mingyu gives him a grateful smile, sneaking bites of the sandwich between customers. He’s still tired, his whole day thrown off the slightest bit, but he does his best to focus on doing his job well regardless. Which is mostly to smile and sound cheerful, and not to mess people’s orders. He is one of those people who always wants to do a good job, no matter what personal matters are going on in their personal life. Him being tired doesn’t mean any of the bakery’s customers deserve a snippy cashier.

The bakery is small, but much higher-end than anywhere Mingyu himself would normally eat at. It has white marble counters and beautiful, elaborate arrangements of fresh-cut flowers at every table from a florist who makes deliveries several times a week. He’s sure they spend more on flowers for creating the proper ambiance than they do on his wages.

It’s the type of place that celebrities order wedding cakes costing months of Mingyu and Seungkwan’s rent. It always smells of the sweetest cakes. You can purchase a slice of heaven with lemon or lavender icing, or a raspberry glaze. Mingyu, who has worked at the bakery for a few years now would surely know.

He always tells himself that if school doesn’t work out, or he fails, or something terrible happens, he can always just work here forever. He’s had plenty of lessons in the kitchens, learned many trade secrets (at least for a boy who’s supposed to work in the front and be a pretty face). Cooking and baking are passions of his and working at the bakery is a simple pleasure he grants himself while going to school. It’s a solid back up plan - pursuing his other passion.

On his break, Mingyu does manage to do some of the school reading he’d planned on in the small break room in the back. He manages the important readings for today’s classes at least, which makes him feel somewhat accomplished and like he might have his shit together. The illusion is all that counts.

In the few minutes left of his break, after he’s done the readings, he pulls out his phone. It suddenly hits him that he hasn’t looked at it all day. His screen is full of notifications. He has several texts from Seungkwan, some bullshit meme that he must have sent after Mingyu had already passed out the night before, and a few newer ones from his morning.

_8:21 am_

_Thanks for slamming the door and waking me up!!! <3_

_I need my beauty sleep you know_ _☹_

_I’m using your charcoal scrub. u owe me_

Mingyu shakes his head at the messages. Very typical of his best friend. They have a very love-hate relationship. As in, they love each other but are also ready to brawl on any given occasion. However, the second anyone tries to hurt the other, they are there to fight. It’s a good friendship.

_11:47 am_

_Sorry, I slept in and missed my train. rip_

_Jeonghan gave me free food tho so that’s a win_

_But ya go ahead and use the scrub_

_just put the lid back on so it doesn’t dry out again!_

He begins to click through his other notifications and apps, finding nothing of importance. It’s the same old bullshit. Pictures of people’s food and face-tuned selfies on Instagram. A few dog pictures – he likes those – and a new meme on Twitter trending above some more horrific news on the state of the world. The norm in the world of mass media saturation. 

There’s a cute video that’s gone viral of a little kid that somehow covered an entire kitchen floor with rice. It makes him think of his neighbours – of Wonwoo and his daughter, Misun. They were worth being late for work. If he hadn’t slept in, he probably never would have met them. He wants to learn more about them, befriend them. In a not weird way. He hopes that’s possible.

Mingyu has always liked kids, but he’s never really been around them much. He used to babysit little cousins and his friend’s younger siblings when he was in high school. But since moving out and going to university, he hasn’t had the chance. He’s not quite at the age where any of his friends are having kids yet. Most are either in the military or still in school. The few that have gotten married don’t have kids – and he’s not too close with any of them anyway. Which has left his life rather sad and childless. He hopes he will see Misun around the building again. She really was adorable, even when food is on her cheek.

Mingyu glances at the time. His break is over and there’s still no reply from Seungkwan. With a shrug, he tosses his phone back in his bag and heads back out. He has a few more hours of work before heading to his university campus.

+

He spends his afternoon attending classes and they are one’s that he luckily enjoys. But he’s at the point in his university career where he honestly enjoys most of them, he likes what he’s learning. Which is how it should be.

In his field, architecture that is, it's a lot of projects and a push for creativity. His professors and instructors are always looking for the newest innovations and helping guide the students into being critical of the world around them, how they can change the way things are designed and build things for the better. Better for the environment, better for people who have been forgotten in the past because they weren’t the ones in charge - the disabled, mothers, the elderly. You don’t realize how unfriendly some cities are built until you start looking.

Today, Mingyu can follow along well. He asks one relevant question (thanks to the readings), which earns him a smile from his prof and a nod of approval. And ask anyone, Mingyu is a known sucker for validation. (Seungkwan says it borders on a praise kink, but Mingyu tries not to read too much into that.)

By the time he’s back in his apartment, it’s past six and he’s hungry and tired. Another long day almost done.

He drops his bag by the foot of his bed and goes to Seungkwan’s room, knocking once before peeking inside.

“Hi, Kwannie,” he says with a sigh, leaning against the doorframe.

Seungkwan is lying on his stomach in bed wearing black shorts and a big grey sweater, texting. He rolls over and then sits up, his red hair mussed up. They had bleached it then coloured it two weeks prior, and Mingyu is still quite impressed with his own craftsmanship. Perhaps he should add hairdressing onto the possible back-up careers.

“Hey, did you just get home?”

“Yeah,” Mingyu nods, coming in and sitting on the rolling desk chair. He spins back and forth a bit and yawns. “Did you cook anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“No, sorry, I ate earlier with a friend,” Seungkwan says, almost too casually, tossing his phone to the other end of the bed. There’s something there, but Mingyu is too tired to try to figure it out. “But I can help make something if you want. Something healthy though, so I can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”

“What friend?”

“What?”

Seungkwan is looking around the room, his eyes purposely wandering to the posters on his walls and the string of lights that hung from the top of his bookcase to the window. His bedroom is very _Seungkwan,_ with a mix of love for his family and friends captured in pictures around the room and an attempt at chic sophistication in the stylish pillows and minimalist furniture design.

He’s looking anywhere but at Mingyu. Which can only mean one thing.

“You have a _crush_?” He asks, his mouth curling up at one side into a teasing grin. Seungkwan is the best to tease about his love life because he makes up the most ridiculous excuses. Once it was ‘No! I wasn’t on a date. I was at the movies because I wanted to know if the butter was _real_ butter.’

“Who is it? Do I know them?”

Seungkwan quickly shakes his head. “No…no…. well, I don’t think so. He’s one of Minghao’s friends, kind of. An art friend.”

Mingyu raises a brow. “An _art_ friend?”

Minghao, their mutual friend is a design student and is quite into art, but usually the weird kind. Not the kind Mingyu would ever associate with Seungkwan. It’s intriguing, only stirring up more questions.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Don’t read too much into it, okay? I doubt he even likes guys. We’ve only hung out a few times.”

Mingyu wants to pry, wants to get all the juicy details out of his best friend, but not now. He’s too damn tired. And hungry. Very hungry. He’ll have lots of time later to find out about Seungkwan’s crush, they’re best friends and live together after all.

“Fine. I’ll take you up on that offer to help me cook though,” he says, standing up and stretching. Mingyu needs to get out his jeans soon and find some comfortable sweatpants. “You’re the best vegetable cutter in Seoul,” he offers with half a smile, heading to the kitchen.

Seungkwan gets up and follows him, and though he doesn't look, Mingyu is sure the younger man is rolling his eyes. Affectionately, of course. He’s holding back a snarky comment on how he’s from _Jeju_ , Mingyu can tell.

“Did you do anything else fun today, besides going on a date?” he asks, opening the fridge and taking out vegetables and tofu. He makes a mental note to go shopping. Fresh food disappears so much faster when he’s both the one buying and eating it. And he has such a big appetite, their kitchen seems to always be out of _something_.

“It wasn’t a _date_ ,” Seungkwan groans, leaning against the counter, curling his fingers beneath the ledge. “But not really. What about you? Anything exciting besides sleeping in and scamming free food from your boss?”

“Okay, first of all, it’s not scamming when it’s going to be thrown away otherwise. And second, did you know we have a really cute neighbour?”

Seungkwan’s whole face lights up. “Really? Who? What do they look like? Are we talking Sunmi, Hyuna, or Hyelim cute?”

“Well,” Mingyu says, smiling conspiratorially at his friend as he takes out a frying pan. “She’s already stolen my heart. Round dimpled cheeks, big brown eyes, a bit of a troublemaker despite her small size...,”

“You’re talking about a child, aren’t you?” Seungkwan sighs, shaking his head. He is very familiar with his best friend’s idea of cute, which typically includes teddy bears and children under five.

“Yup,” Mingyu laughs. He spoons some spicy red pepper paste into a pan. “Her name is Misun and she lives two doors down. Her dad’s name is Wonwoo. He’s like, really young.”

“Really young like a teenager or really young like our age?” Seungkwan turns the tap on to start washing the vegetables. Onions and eggplant and anything else their fridge still had to offer. “Is _he_ cute?”

“Maybe a bit older than us,” Mingyu shrugs, feeling his face beginning to heat again at the memory of meeting the man. He looked so sharp in his suit, even holding his baby. It kind of did something for Mingyu. “They’re both cute,” he manages to admit after too long a pause.

Seungkwan, because he is Mingyu’s best friend and knows him entirely too well, gives him a _look_ but he doesn’t press it. Maybe it’s because he is holding back about his own crush, but he’s not going to push Mingyu about his blushing tonight. And for that, Mingyu is grateful.

+

Mingyu doesn’t have classes on Wednesdays, and when he’s lucky enough to not be scheduled for work, it means he has a free day. Usually, his free days consist of him getting an extra hour of sleep in the morning, cleaning the entire apartment, doing laundry, and then going grocery shopping. It’s a catch-up day that he desperately needs.

He’s the tidier one between him and Seungkwan, but Mingyu’s frankly more into establishing cleanliness and more organized than most guys his age. Seungkwan isn’t messy, he just has a lot of stuff. And Mingyu doesn’t mind it picking up after his best friend sometimes, not really. There’s a sense of accomplishment to be gained after a few hours of hard work, which he appreciates.

Sometimes though, his Wednesdays are much less productive and involve him bingeing some new television series or taking a long bath and listening to music. Or sleeping. Those kinds of days are just as equally deserved.

The Wednesday after he first ran into his neighbours Mingyu is luckily having a productive day. He’s wearing shorts that are way too small, coming more than halfway up his thighs, and an old tank top that’s too tight leaving _nothing_ to the imagination. They’re things he only wears when no one is around. And because the rest of his clothes are dirty.

He doesn’t like being stared at any more than he already is. Being as tall as he is, it’s like people think that they can openly stare and judge him and for some reason think that he won’t mind. Seungkwan says he should take it as a compliment. Regardless of the intent, it doesn’t stop Mingyu from being insecure about how much skin is showing in his shorts because his legs are so long, or how they probably expect him to have more muscular arms (his arms are fine! But still). When he’s alone he can be comfortable in his tiny clothes and put on some second gen K-pop to dance/clean/perform to. 

By noon, the apartment is clean and smells fresh. Mingyu feels quite proud of himself, sitting on the couch, tired. He’s considering taking a nap when the alarm goes off on his phone to go get his laundry from down the hall.

He opens his front door with practically a bounce in his step. What Mingyu doesn’t expect though, is for Jeon Wonwoo to be heading down the hall towards him.

Mingyu freezes.

“Hey there,” Wonwoo greets, flashing a quick smile. He’s dressed for work in a suit and tie, sporting his round glasses. The round lenses must be prescription, Mingyu thinks. Not a fashion choice (unlike Minghao who has a different pair for each day of the week).

Wonwoo has very straight teeth, he notes. A perfect smile and perfect teeth. Mingyu wonders if the other man had braces growing up. If he hadn’t, Mingyu, who has had slightly crooked and wolfish front teeth his whole life, thinks it all terribly unfair.

“Hi,” he manages to smile back, suddenly very aware of the fact that his shorts are also bleach-stained on top of _tiny._ _And_ there’s a hole in his shirt _and_ he’s wearing pink slippers. He tries to focus on the situation at hand and not make a total fool of himself in front of his new neighbour. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Wonwoo lets out an airy laugh, running his hand through his dark hair. It’s a gesture that seems so out of place with the suit and tie. It makes Mingyu wonder again, how young exactly his neighbour is. “Yeah, I should. I got a call from Misun’s daycare saying she went through all three of her spare outfits today somehow. Spills of juice and food and whatever else,” he shakes his head, slightly exasperated. “Which is fine. It’s just that we’re supposed to go visit my friend after I pick her up later, and I don’t want to take my baby in just her diaper, you know? So, I had to run home to grab some clothes. Now I’m going to drop them off at the daycare before going back to work."

It’s a lot to take in, and Mingyu just nods. Wow. He forgot having a kid is a lot of work. It changes people’s whole lives. They become the centre of your world; you can’t do anything without putting them into consideration before you. You have to be so selfless.

“Well, I won’t keep you then,” Mingyu says, taking a step towards the laundry room. He’s grateful for the escape. “Good luck with everything.”

Wonwoo smiles at him, yet again displaying his perfect teeth and waving as he heads down toward the elevator. “Thanks, I need it,” he says with a chuckle.

Mingyu cocks his head, bemused. Wonwoo seems like a good dad. To halt his whole day to come home and pick-up clothes for his kid. A hot dad, but still a good one to Misun. 

After taking his clothes out of the dryer and carrying them back to his apartment Mingyu sits down on his bed with the full basket. As he begins to fold his laundry, he allows his mind to wander.

Wonwoo and his daughter are interesting. He hardly knows anything about them, and yet he keeps thinking about them. He tries to imagine what Wonwoo’s life is like and how they became his neighbours. Why move with a baby? Don’t people usually have their lives in order, and everything set up and ready before the baby comes? Maybe it has to do with the fact that Misun doesn’t have a mother in the picture. Or does she? Mingyu hasn’t seen one. If not, did it end badly between her and Wonwoo?

When he’s done with his laundry, Mingyu turns his attention back to other things. He has a paper due next week he hasn’t started. And he promised Seungkwan he’d cook supper tonight. Still, Wonwoo floats into the back of his mind during the quiet moments, a constant intrigue that makes his stomach tie into knots.

+

Mingyu doesn’t know what compels him to throw up a hand and say he’ll take the leftover cupcakes home from work. Maybe Seungkwan will have some. He’s eaten his fill of sugary things for the day, hell, maybe the week. Still, when Jeonghan asks if anyone wants the cupcakes, Mingyu is the first one to say yes.

Which is how he ends up carrying a tray of beautifully decorated cupcakes around with him all day after work. To class. On the subway. The whole time he questions what provoked him into taking the cupcakes, inconveniencing himself for the rest of the day.

Similarly, Mingyu doesn’t know what compels him to walk past his apartment door and knock instead on the door two down. Sorry, Seungkwan.

“Oh,” Wonwoo says when he opens the door. He’s not in a suit. Instead, he's wearing shorts and showing off surprisingly pale, hairy, and skinny legs. He’s also wearing a long white sleeve shirt that’s baggy enough Wonwoo appears to be swimming in it. He looks so different and much younger. It’s disorienting. “Mingyu! What a surprise. What can I do for you?”

Mingyu stares at him for a moment, blinks, and then tries to recalibrate what he knew about his neighbour. Before it had been father, handsome, glasses, cute daughter, deep voice, neighbour, professional, suit, adult. Now it was more like _legs_ , _hairy legs_ , and _cute cute cute_.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could do something for you.” Mingyu eventually manages, pulling his face into a smile he hopes seems genuine enough, and not like his internal system is crashing. He pulls out the cupcakes from behind him. “We messed up an order at work and we had cupcakes to spare. I just thought you’d appreciate them more than my roommate,” Mingyu lies. Seungkwan would love the cupcakes. “The point is, I have cupcakes. Do you want them?”

Wonwoo’s whole face lights up at the sight of the treat. “Oh, um, are you sure?”

Mingyu just nods, not trusting himself not to say anything stupid. Like for example, ask how old Wonwoo is or how it’s like dark magic that his glasses with a suit make him look intellectual and sharp, and now in comfy clothes they make him look young and nerdy.

“Then, yeah,” Wonwoo says. "Come inside."

The Jeon’s apartment is laid out nearly identical to his own, but it looks completely different. The most obvious difference being that clearly, a baby lives here. There’s a colourful jumper in one corner, and the floor is scattered with various toys. There are a few fluffy blankets draped over furniture, and to seal the deal, little Misun is sitting on the floor, banging a toy car against the rug to the tune of some song being sung on the television.

“Your place is nice,” Mingyu offers after a moment, still looking around. There are boxes piled in a few of the corners, reminding Mingyu of their recent move. They must not have gotten around to unpacking everything just yet.

“It’s a bit of a mess, but thanks,” Wonwoo says with a low chuckle. “So, what do I have to do in trade for the cupcakes? Can I offer you coffee or juice? A beer?”

Mingyu shakes his head, handing the baked goods over and then heading for Misun. “You mind if I just play with her for a bit?”

Something shifts in Wonwoo’s expression and he just shrugs with a nod, taking a bite out of a cupcake. He seems pleased, but whether it’s because of the cupcake or the prospect of some weird giant of a boy wanting to play with his kid, Mingyu can’t tell. He’ll take it.

He goes over and lies on his stomach on the rug, grinning broadly at the little girl. He picks up one of the many toys, a rattle of sorts, and begins to shake it to get Misun’s attention.

When she looks at him, she gives him a big gummy smile and starts to crawl towards him with surprising speed. She laughs and squeals with delight when she steals the rattle away from Mingyu, banging it on the floor.

“She’s loud,” he chuckles and Misun squeals even louder. It’s loud enough that he wonders how he nor Seungkwan have ever heard the baby from down the hall. She’s plenty loud, and these are just _happy_ noises.

“I know,” Wonwoo says between bites of his cupcake, taking a seat on the couch to watch them. “She sounds a bit like a dinosaur sometimes,”

“A dinosaur!” Mingyu says to Misun, his voice and expression exaggerated. She loves it, he can tell. “Are you a little dinosaur?”

She screams in delight.

They play like that for a while, Wonwoo watching in amusement as Mingyu rolls and crawls around the floor with his daughter. “So, you work at a bakery, or what?” he asks after a bit.

“Yeah,” Mingyu says, looking up at the other man. He can tell Misun’s starting to get tired, rubbing her eyes and slowing down. “Just out front though, working the till. I mean, I have worked in the back a bit. There’s a lot to learn. The hours the bakers have are stupid though, waking up at like four a.m. to go in and bake.”

Wonwoo nods in understanding. “Yeah, that would be rough. I feel like I am so desperate to sleep at this point in my life that I can’t even consider how people do jobs like that,” he admits with a laugh, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Mingyu watches as Wonwoo begins to make a bottle for his daughter, carefully measuring out the water and formula and checking the temperature. He seems at ease, in a routine, able to read his daughter’s signals for bed before she even starts to fuss. Mingyu considers how his assessment of Wonwoo as a good father was correct.

“Hey, little one,” Mingyu says, standing and picking Misun up. She thumps her face against his chest with surprising strength, making him gasp and look to Wonwoo. “Um, she’s tired I think.”

“You would be correct,” he nods, taking her from Mingyu. He presses a kiss into her dark hair. “I’m just going to put her down and then I’ll be right out.”

He wants to protest, to excuse himself because obviously this is a family moment, and he’s overstayed his welcome. But something holds Mingyu back. Maybe he’s just desperate to talk more with Wonwoo, or he wants a few minutes to snoop and look around the apartment unsupervised.

He does just that when Wonwoo disappears with his daughter held against him into the other room. Mingyu looks at the shoes by the door, the jackets in the closet. The few photos that have been unpacked. They’re mostly Wonwoo and what looks to be his parents, a brother, and a few of Misun when she was first born, more creature than human. Babies are weird.

It’s then he pauses and takes note of everything anew. There’s plenty of Wonwoo and a baby here, but as far as he can tell, no one else. Mingyu wants to ask where Misun’s mother is because from what he can tell, there’s no sign of her here. He, of course, knows that he can’t just abruptly jump that on Wonwoo, he barely knows the guy. But it doesn’t stop Mingyu from being curious.

Wonwoo’s soft voice can be heard from the other room, whispering sweet nothings to his daughter as a lullaby starts to play. It’s less than a minute later that the bedroom door opens, and he steps out, running a hand through his dark hair and looks over at Mingyu.

“That was quick.”

Wonwoo shrugs, bending down and picking up a few toys and putting them in a box to the side. They’ve managed to become spread across the room during playtime. It’s kind of impressive. “Yeah, she’s pretty good. I got lucky,” he chuckles, picking up the blanket Misun had been playing on and folds it. He does it in neat equal folds, not just in a ball as Seungkwan does. “She’s starting to change her routines though, sleeping longer and less frequently. Which is good for me, I guess.”

Mingyu nods. “I bet. You must be enjoying the extra sleep,” he says, not commenting on his own love for sleep and how he doesn’t think he could ever cut it short, even for a cute baby. But hell, what does he know? Kids change people.

“I am, you’re right,” he says, flopping back down onto the couch, legs spread. Mingyu’s mind goes _legs, legs, legs_ again. “Thank you for the cupcakes, by the way, they’re really good.”

“You’re welcome,” Mingyu beams at the compliment, even if he didn’t even bake them himself. He could have though, which counts for something. “I thought they would be just what you needed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You think I’m too skinny?” Wonwoo teases, lips curled up in amusement at Mingyu’s blush that starts to creep across his face.

He didn’t mean to say anything like that with the cupcakes. And yeah, he had noticed how thin Wonwoo was, but he didn’t dislike it. He seemed well enough. Healthy. The cupcakes were just supposed to be a kind gesture. If he is being honest, he isn’t sure why he did it. Some sort of impulse inside him wanted to show how kind he could be. To have another excuse to talk to Wonwoo. Something was appealing about him, and it wasn’t just his adorable baby daughter.

“No, that’s not it-”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m skinny. I get it a lot.” Wonwoo laughs, leaning his head back against the couch and closing his eyes. He must be tired, Mingyu realizes, suddenly wishing he _had_ left earlier. “You should see my mom. Every time she comes to visit, she fills my freezer and spends every waking moment trying to shove food down my throat. And Misun’s now too, since she’s getting onto real food and not just formula.”

Mingyu can’t help the laugh that escapes his lips, and he looks down quickly, embarrassed. “She’s just showing she loves you,” He says, thinking about how he often does the same thing with his friends when he has the time. People show affection and love in different ways. It’s taken him a long time to learn this, but once he realized it, he is always on the lookout. He doesn’t want to miss anyone’s displays of affection. “But visits? She doesn’t live here?”

“No,” Wonwoo says. “My parents live in Changwon.”

“Oh, shit. That’s far. I mean, like not impossibly far, but far enough.” Mingyu says. He realizes this is his opportunity. He doesn’t want to pry though. He searches for his words carefully, leaving them ambiguous. “So, like…is it just you then? You take care of Misun by yourself most of the time?”

Wonwoo still has his eyes closed and he lets out a yawn. “Yeah,” he says, his already low voice is getting rougher, the tiredness coming through. “It’s just me on like the day-to-day stuff usually. My best friend’s schedule is a bit more open and flexible than my own and he takes her some days instead of daycare. And my other friends are just constantly asking to see Misun too, which is great for me when I need a day off. My brother goes to school here, but I try not to bother him too much. He should focus on his studies.”

Mingyu nods, taking all this in. Misun doesn’t have a mom, at least, not one in her life. But Wonwoo doesn’t seem heartbroken or beat up about it…so it must have ended amicably? He doesn’t want to ask, and Wonwoo didn’t say, so it probably doesn’t matter. Mingyu shouldn’t care so much. Wonwoo and his daughter both seem well adjusted with adequate support in their lives.

“I should get going then, I’m keeping you up,” he says, heading for the door. “I’ll see you around, Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo slinks off the couch and in the direction of the bedroom, waving a hand and giving a lazy, tired smile. “Call me hyung. And I’m sure I will. Goodnight.”

When Mingyu makes it back to his apartment, Seungkwan is sitting on the couch waiting for him.

“Where were you?” he asks, standing. His face is bare of makeup and frowning. And his hair is messy like he’s been running his hands through it.

“I was just at our neighbours,” Mingyu says, toeing off his shoes and dropping his bag. “I brought Wonwoo cupcakes. He really liked them.”

Seungkwan gives him a dead look. “Wow. Nice to know you were flirting with the _dilf_ down the hall while I was worrying about where you were.” He holds up his phone, the screen lit to the conversation and he flicks up to show all the messages he’s sent. Mingyu doesn’t even get the chance to ask what a _dilf_ is. “You haven’t texted me back since you were in class this morning. I thought something bad happened to you. You always text back right away unless you’re sleeping!”

Mingyu’s face falls and his stomach twists. “I’m sorry, Kwan. I haven’t checked my phone at all. I went from class to work to Wonwoo’s and my phone was in my bag the whole time.”

Seungkwan pouts at him, but he looks less angry and more relieved now. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to talk to you earlier and then you didn’t respond, and I even got Minghao to try and you didn’t respond to him either.” He sighs. “But it’s fine now. You’re fine, so I’m going to bed. You have fun dreaming about our neighbour.”

“I don’t like him like _that_!” Mingyu calls, but Seungkwan has already shut his bedroom door. He doesn’t even have the chance to ask what Seungkwan originally wanted to talk about. He lets out a soft breath, shoulders slumping. “I don’t.” He says softly to the empty room.

+

Mingyu has a lot of school supplies which unfortunately means he either must lug them onto the subway to go to school and/or the library or stay home to work on projects.

His backpack is full, and he has the keys to his apartment in one hand and his large bulbous drawing storage tube in the other when he runs into Wonwoo in the entrance to their building, checking his mail.

“Hey, Mingyu,” the older man says when he spots him. He’s still dressed from work, but he’s lost his suit jacket and has the white button-up shirt sleeves rolled up. It’s not a sight Mingyu had prepared for. “What do you have there?”

“School shit,” Mingyu says, exasperatedly. He stops and fumbles with his keys to check his and Seungkwan’s mail. He figures he might as well since he’s here. Not just because it’s a chance to talk to Wonwoo. That would be ridiculous and absolutely _not_ what he’s doing.

“What is it that you study? I’m not sure I’ve ever asked.”

He hasn’t, but Mingyu’s not about to point this out. They hardly know each other though, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Wonwoo’s just being a friendly neighbour, making small talk by the mailboxes on a Thursday night. And it really shouldn’t make Mingyu’s cheeks heat and drop his keys. But it does.

“Architecture,” he says with a bashful smile as he kneels to pick up his keys. “I’m in my fourth year. I have another year of studying which includes a thesis and then three years doing an internship.”

“Oh, shit,” Wonwoo says. He looks impressed, his gaze scanning Mingyu as if seeing him anew. “More than a pretty face then, aren’t you?”

If Mingyu had been blushing before, he’s an ungodly shade of red now as he grabs the few pieces of mail and slams the box shut with too much force, yanking his key out. “Uh, um. Yeah?”

He doesn’t know what to say. His brain is really struggling with words at being called a _pretty face_ by a guy who has one of the prettiest faces Mingyu’s ever seen. Father or not, it’s hard to ignore the curve of Wonwoo’s cheekbones or the wide swoop of his cupid’s bow or his clever sharp eyes behind his rounded glasses that seem to see right through Mingyu. “Where is Misun?”

Changing the subject is a desperate measure, but at this point, Mingyu is desperate not to make himself look any more foolish. Wonwoo is probably wondering how Mingyu is a student in such a difficult program and yet struggles to string a sentence together.

“She’s at home,” Wonwoo says, glancing above them towards both of their apartments several floors above. “My friend brought over takeout and is getting his quality baby time.”

“Ah, that’s fun. I won’t keep you, hyung,” Mingyu says with a nod and a too-wide smile. He’s still blushing and needs to make a quick escape before his face just melts right off in embarrassment.

He begins to take a few steps backwards toward the stairs even though he does _not_ want to carry all his books and drafting materials in his bag up the stairs or the big stupid drawing storage tube which will surely hit his thigh with every step. But he doesn’t want to ride the elevator with Wonwoo even more.

Unfortunately for him, Wonwoo just follows him towards the stairs. “Yeah, you’re right. I should probably make sure Soonyoung isn’t feeding Misun candy or letting her destroy the apartment.” He says following Mingyu into the stairwell. “Honestly, that’s unfair to Misun. She is probably more likely to keep him from destroying the place. I should probably just get back in general, the longer I leave them alone the more chances for chaos.”

They both live on the fifth floor. Which, really, isn’t that high up, all things considering. However, Mingyu is carrying all his school stuff which is getting heavier with every flight of stairs they climb.

And all Mingyu can think about is how his _ass_ is right in his neighbour’s line of vision climbing the stairs behind him. Mingyu is thankful he wore the jeans that Minghao says prove that ‘the only dummy he is dummy thick’. That’s verbatim.

By the time they reach their floor, Mingyu is grateful to see he isn’t the only one out of breath. “You should go to the gym,” he says, giving an amused glance at the older man as they start down the hall. “I’m carrying like thirty pounds of drawing shit. What’s your excuse?”

“I have an almost nine-month-old daughter,” Wonwoo says shaking his head. “I spend all my time taking care of her or at work. In the few chances I get to relax I either sleep or like tonight with some company, I game. Though, Soonyoung’s shit at them. He’ll watch me though, and watch Misun too, which is more important.”

Mingyu’s at his door, about to unlock it and cannot help the giggle that escapes his mouth. “You game? I mean, I know you’re not that old and all, but like…I don’t imagine _dad's_ gaming. It’s kind of funny.”

“How old are you?” When Mingyu tells him Wonwoo gives him a half-hearted glare as he opens the door to his apartment. “I’m only a year older, don’t be rude. Have a good night, Mingyu.”

“Have fun playing your games,” he replies with a laugh, stepping through the door. His neighbour just keeps surprising him and in the best of ways. And he’s only a year older. They could be friends. Are they friends?

+

“Where the _fuck_ did you get these cupcakes?” Soonyoung asks through a moan, ungraciously shoving the entire thing in his mouth. It’s a terrible habit of his, really, but no one has managed to make him stop. At first, Wonwoo thought his best friend was just doing some weird show for Jihoon to prove how big his mouth is and how little gag reflex he has. But no, he just does it when there’s delicious food, much to everyone else’s discomfort.

Wonwoo rolls his eyes at his best friend’s antics as he comes out of his bedroom. He’s freshly changed into sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. On the way, he grabs one of the cupcakes from the counter before flopping down on the couch.

“My neighbour. Kim Mingyu,” he answers and takes a bite, grabbing the television remote and turning it on. “I actually just ran into him earlier. He’s a cute kid.”

He holds back and doesn’t comment on how cute Mingyu’s butt is, too. He had enough time to make that assessment (get it, _ass_?) while following him up the five flights of stairs, much to the displeasure of his lungs and thighs. Perhaps when Misun is a bit bigger he will take his neighbour’s gym idea seriously.

Soonyoung grabs another cupcake from the kitchen counter and comes and sits, cross-legged on the floor in front of Misun. He picks up a red toy car and starts pushing it back and forth with one hand, joining the little girl in her playtime. “He baked them just for you or what?” He asks, taking another massive bite. “That’s awfully nice.”

“Yeah, it’s nice. But he works at a bakery,” Wonwoo says, turning on the Xbox. “He brought them from there.”

He knows Soonyoung probably won’t do more than watch him play, his best friend is not one for gaming. Technologically challenged somehow, relying on Wonwoo to set up every new phone he gets and updating his work laptop when the time comes. He shouldn’t judge. His own uses of technology in the past few months have switched to fancy baby monitors with night vision and a controller you can use to move the camera around inside the crib and baby toys with all sorts of songs and flashing lights. As far as video games are concerned, becoming a dad has, for the most part, put his gaming habits on hold.

“How old is he?”

“A year younger than us. University age. Old enough to be considered hot if he wasn’t such a dork, I guess.”

That piques Soonyoung’s interest, turning to Wonwoo with wide eyes and a quirked brow. “Hot?”

“Well,” Wonwoo begins, mouth full of cupcake. “He’s taller than me and looks like an Asian Adonis, so yeah. But,” he reaches over to his beer on the coffee table and takes a long swig. “The poor kid can barely get a sentence out without blushing. He’s very…. young I guess. A bit clumsy and awkward.”

At first, he wasn’t sure what to make of Mingyu. He looked intimidating, but every time Wonwoo talks with him he seems a much different boy than what he looks like. Mingyu’s very earnest and kind, a bit too eager to make sure everyone else is happy sometimes it seems. Not quite naive, but definitely the owner of a soft heart. It’s kind of refreshing. Every time they meet, Wonwoo leaves with a smile thinking about his neighbour and how he will surprise him next.

“Oh, a _sexy_ fool,” says Soonyoung with a serious nod. “I love it.”

Misun has climbed into his lap now and is banging her fists against his chest and drooling on his shirt. Teething, Wonwoo knows from her red cheeks.

“Oh, of course, I love you more, little sun. Oh, yes I do,” Soonyoung coos, lifting her into the air and making her scream in delight. “Oppa will be here for you even when your appa is admiring the pretty boy down the hall.”

“Shut up,” Wonwoo laughs, and he smiles widely and opens his eyes animatedly. “Don’t believe him, Misun! Only trust me, I’m your dad!”

The baby gurgles out laughter, spitting on Soonyoung’s face in the process. He wrinkles his nose and turns away in disgust. Fond, but disgusted.

Wonwoo chuckles, which makes his daughter laugh even harder. “That’s my girl!”

They end up watching a kid’s movie, the two of them curled up on the couch and Misun playing in her bouncer until she tires herself. Wonwoo must pick her up carefully as her head droops forward and she still intermittently bounces again, despite being mostly asleep.

After he puts Misun to bed, he comes out and finds his living room and kitchen empty. He picks up their dirty dishes from the takeout and puts them in the sink. Tomorrow’s problem.

He turns off the lights with a yawn and heads to his bedroom, where he unsurprisingly finds Soonyoung curled up in his bed. There have been periods of their friendship that has had them sharing beds every night. Most of them baby-induced.

“Are you staying the night?” He asks, pushing up his glasses. They’re dirty, covered in tiny fingerprints and smudged to hell. But again, that’s tomorrow’s problem. He’s just going to take them off anyways to sleep. “Because if you do, you’re getting up with the baby a few times too.”

“Yeah, I know,” Soonyoung says from his position against the wall, blankets atop him. He seems quite cozy and right at home. That’s how he always is. Soonyoung and Wonwoo are each other’s safe spaces where they don’t have to worry and can let go. “I will get up. I always do when I stay over. Give you the break you deserve.”

Wonwoo sits on the edge of his bed, takes off his socks and climbs beneath the already warmed blankets. It’s nice, not getting into a cold bed for once. Not having to do all of this alone. He knows he chose this, but he still can’t feel overwhelmed and just exhausted sometimes.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says because he can’t help but feel the need to. He doesn’t want to take advantage of Soonyoung’s kindness and generosity. His unrelenting friendship, who despite calling him crazy for having a kid, has done nothing but supported him and been here every step of the way.

“I know,” Soonyoung says with a yawn. He turns towards Wonwoo, curling his warm soft body against him, throwing a leg over him.

Wonwoo kicks Soonyoung’s leg off him but doesn’t push him away. They’ve shared a bed enough time over their many years of friendship that this is practically routine. Soonyoung still tries it every time.

“But I want to. I don’t mind, not really. Not when I know you’re the one doing this by yourself every night,” he says, head next to Wonwoo’s. They’re close enough Wonwoo can smell his own minty toothpaste on his best friend’s breath. “Besides, I know you need your sleep. The bags under your eyes look horrendous. And we don’t want mister boss man thinking you can’t handle raising your child.”

Wonwoo yawns again, nodding. He can feel the pull of sleep around, wrapping around him just as much as his clingy best friend. “Still. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now go to sleep. I will get up with Misun. Don’t worry about it.”

And that’s all Wonwoo needs to hear before letting go and falling fast asleep.

+

Minghao is frowning at him from across the room.

“I don’t see why I can’t have _one_ donut,” he says, brows knitted together behind the black curtain of hair on his forehead. He’s sitting with his long legs crossed on Mingyu’s bed, dressed in another weird ensemble involving a lot of layers and stripes. That’s the way design students are, or at least, the way Minghao is. Daring with fashion. “You have like a dozen. _Share_.”

Mingyu turns from his position at his desk where he’s been _trying_ to work on another project for school. This one is supposed to be a hospital with green technology, trying to make it as self-sufficient as possible. “I told you,” he says with his own frown. “They’re not for _you_. They’re not even for me.”

“They’re for your _dilf_ neighbour, aren’t they?”

“Who told you that?” Mingyu asks sharply, though he’s sure he knows the answer. _Seungkwan_. “And what does that mean?

Minghao’s lips curl into a smile. Not the sweet one that he’s used to get out of trouble on more than one occasion. This smile is dark and teasing. It makes Mingyu nervous. “It’s an English acronym Kwan introduced to me. _Dad I’d like to fuck._ ” He pauses as the meaning sinks in for Mingyu.

He is half horrified; half surprised such a term exists. Mingyu wonders why there isn’t a Korean version. There ought to be.

“So, you don’t deny it? Interesting.”

“If I let you have one donut will you shut up and let it drop?”

“Yes.”

“Fine,” Mingyu sighs, defeated. He’d brought them from work and then to school and finally back to his apartment, waiting for his neighbours to be home. “But only one. By the way, do you know who Seungkwan has a crush on?”

If Seungkwan can go around telling people about Mingyu’s situation, well, he can find out about Seungkwan’s too. Two can play this game.

“Hmm?” Minghao asks with a mouthful of donut. “Kwam? Om. Hamsol. Amotho am smudemt.”

“Please swallow,” Mingyu says, annoyed.

Minghao begins to laugh then coughs, shooting an accusatory look at Mingyu. “You did that on purpose! Oh, come on. What did you think would happen? That I would smirk at you and say, well, _Gyu, I’ve been told that many times before but never by you!_ ”

“We get it-you're a promiscuous little Chinese boy,” he waves a hand, wanting to get to the details. “Now what did you say? Who is the crush?”

Minghao sighs. “Hansol. He’s another art student. He’s chill.”

“Chill?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs, taking another bite of donut. “I don’t know. He’s just very laid back. He’s into weird psychedelic type art, I think. Lots of bright colours and textures.” Minghao pauses, considering the donut in his hand, inspecting the sugar coating on it. “Maybe he’s just stoned though. That would make a lot of sense too.”

Mingyu lifts a brow, curling his up into his chair and wrapping his arms around them. It is a tight fit, but he manages. “And this is the boy Seungkwan likes?”

He doesn’t sound like Seungkwan’s type. But well, Seungkwan’s type hasn’t ever really worked out in the past. Maybe something new is good. Different might last.

Minghao shrugs again. “Apparently. I see him after class waiting for Hansol sometimes. Seungkwan sticks out like a sore thumb in his nice preppy name brand clothes in the art department. And he usually brings a drink, which is usually a sign you want someone to like you. I know I don’t bring you drinks when we meet after class.”

“You could. That would be nice and appreciated,” Mingyu says with a hopeful smile.

“Yeah, not happening, but nice try.”

“Does Hansol like boys?” Mingyu cannot help but ask. “Does he like Seungkwan? Or realize that Seungkwan likes him?”

Minghao’s frown from earlier returned, skewing his elegant features. “I dunno. He’s hard to read. He seems to go along with Kwan’s bullshit, but then again, so do you.”

Mingyu sighs. “Do you want me to make supper, so you don’t eat all of the donuts?”

Minghao grins at him.

By the time Minghao heads home, it is later than Mingyu would have liked to go knocking on his neighbour’s door. Still, he feels like he must. He’s defended these donuts for Wonwoo literally all day much to the annoyance of his friends. He must deliver them down the hall, regardless of how tired he is.

Mingyu doesn’t dare ring the doorbell. Instead, he knocks and waits, hoping he isn’t waking anyone up. He doesn’t want to become that guy who wakes up the sleeping baby that once awake, refuses to go back to sleep.

He is worrying about what a dick move that would be when Wonwoo opens the door in a tank top that hangs way too low, and pyjamas with cartoon cats on them. And his sexy professor glasses. That’s what Mingyu has deemed them, privately. All of it though is a bit much.

Mingyu feels lightheaded.

“Are those for me?” Wonwoo asks, eyeing the donuts eagerly. His glasses really do something for Mingyu, and he is embarrassed by this realization. “From your bakery?”

“Just the bakery I work at, yeah,” Mingyu manages. It’s requiring all his willpower not to stare at Wonwoo’s long neck and broad shoulders and bare collar bones and _all of him._ The cat pyjamas are safe. And cute. Mingyu focuses his gaze on them. “Yes, they’re for you.”

“Well, thank you. If they’re as good as the cupcakes I’m sure I’ll devour them quicker than I want to admit,” Wonwoo says cheerfully, taking the donuts. He pauses. “Hey, Mingyu?”

“Hmm?” he doesn’t dare look up at the older man, sure if he does, he will immediately have to excuse himself to go scream into a pillow back at his apartment. He doesn’t know why he’s being like this. He blames Minghao’s teasing and calling Wonwoo a _dilf_. Acknowledging a maybe crush makes it seem more real.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at my crotch?”

Cat pyjamas are _not_ safe!

Mingyu’s gaze darts up to Wonwoo’s amused face. “No, I wasn’t – shit, _I’m sorry_. I didn’t mean to-”

“Everything works great down there, Misun is proof. No need for your scrutiny.” Wonwoo jokes, leaning against the door frame and taking a bite of donut. “These are great by the way.”

“It’s just that they’re the _cat’s pyjamas_ ,” Mingyu says, a bit defeated. “I get it.”

“You sure do, darling. But I think you’ve had a long day and are maybe even more tired than me. You should get some sleep.”

Mingyu nods, taking a step back. Leaving was his best bet, and Wonwoo was giving him an easy out. What a true gentleman. Good fatherly wisdom as well as jokes. Mingyu wondered if they gave you a handbook on dad jokes when they gave you the baby. Probably not, but it would be cool if they did.

“Tell Misun I said goodnight,” he says, “And you, too. Goodnight to you as well, obviously.”

Wonwoo laughs softly, the sound low and warm while shaking his head. He is holding half a donut in one of his long, elegant hands and he points it at Mingyu. “I will. Now you get to bed. Don’t make me come over and turn on some ocean sounds for you too.”

He knows Wonwoo means it in jest, but he can’t help thinking that being tucked in at night by the older man would really up his sleeping game. He really does need his beauty sleep, as much of it as he can possibly manage. Mingyu is just trying to be practical.

+

“Which one is him?”

“The hot one, _obviously_ ,” Seungkwan whispers back harshly from beneath his black baseball hat and face mask. That combined with a big jean jacket made up his disguise of sorts. A disguise apparently made it okay for Seungkwan to secretly point out his crush to his best friend without it being weird.

Mingyu, who is very much accustomed to Seungkwan’s sometimes bizarre behaviour, isn't going to comment on any of this. He’s just grateful to finally be let in on the secret. He wasn’t really getting anywhere trying to pry information out of Minghao.

“I’m going to have to ask you to be more specific,” he whispers back, looking around the cafe again. It’s cute. Hansol’s parents apparently own it and the art gallery that is attached. Which is how and why they’re sitting here looking foolish. That and the fact Seungkwan came barging into Mingyu’s room last night saying he and Hansol had _kissed_.

Seungkwan frowns behind his sunglasses, lifting his cup of coffee in front of his face in the most obvious attempt at being inconspicuous Mingyu’s ever seen. It’s comical in an almost sad way. He wonders if Hansol is going to notice them, come over confused and somewhat concerned for Seungkwan. _That_ would be funny.

He holds back a laugh as his friend whispers slowly. “The stupid-looking guy with the beautiful bone structure. Pale, big eyebrows. He’s wearing the bucket hat and the oversized yellow shirt the colour of hospital walls. Absolutely horrendous. And those jeans! They’re barely holding onto his non-existent ass! How can he go around like that?”

“I don’t know,” Mingyu answers, shaking his head at the sight. Seungkwan isn’t wrong. It’s kind of horrendous. The guy, Hansol, is a lot cuter than Mingyu had expected. But then again, he wasn’t sure what to expect. And despite his questionable fashion choices as he sits at a table next to the cafe’s counter with a younger girl - his sister maybe, he still looks _good._ Attractive undeniably, but in a sort of way that Mingyu didn’t think Seungkwan would like. Or, by the sounds of it, does he?

“Wait, do you have a crush on him or not?”

Seungkwan hisses at him to lower his voice. Then pauses, looking towards Hansol with a defeated sigh. His gaze is so full of longing and affection Mingyu feels a bit jealous. “Yes. Unfortunately, yes.”

“Huh,” is all Mingyu can manage. He picks up his own coffee and takes a sip. “At least the cafe is good, hey? Like his parents are clearly on to something here.”

Seungkwan makes a huffing sound in agreement but doesn’t turn his head away from Hansol. He went from being stupidly incognito to blatantly staring. Seungkwan is confusing at the best of times, but this new crush is bringing out a new level of questionable behaviour along with it.

“Is that his sister?” Mingyu tries. The girl looks a few years younger than them, still in high school, maybe. She looks like her brother but smaller, prettier.

“Yeah,” Seungkwan nods, finally looking back to Mingyu. He rests his chin in his hands. “She’s six years younger. But they’re pretty close. He helps her with her homework sometimes.” He pauses, glancing back over to the other table. “I think that’s what he’s doing now.”

Mingyu tilts his head to the side a bit, looking at the two siblings together. “That’s awfully nice. Cute, even. Your boy must be really sweet, even if he has an atrocious taste in clothes. What does Minghao think about his clothes?”

Seungkwan frowns at him, bottom lip coming out into a pout. Which, in Mingyu’s experience, is never a good thing. “Hao would like them, let’s be honest. He likes weird stuff as long as you own it.”

“True.”

“It’s just. I don’t know. Our _whatever_ relationship is weird. Like until last night I didn’t even know he likes me like _that_ ,” he says like they’re back in high school and crushes still felt like games of love or death, unspeakable.

Mingyu briefly wonders if having feelings ever gets easier and less messy.

Seungkwan crosses his arms, the big jean jacket he’s wearing folds up with extra fabric at the shoulders, kind of making him look like a baby. It’s cute until Mingyu realizes that Seungkwan is wearing _his_ jacket. He frowns.

“Until he drunkenly mentioned he never thought a boy like _me_ would like him. Or that he would like a boy like _me_. Then he kissed me! What does that even mean?”

Mingyu takes a bite of the cheesecake he’d ordered, spearing a strawberry with his fork. “I guess it means he was surprised as the rest of us that you like him,” he says, swallowing. The cheesecake isn’t as good as the ones at his bakery. But in his opinion, cheesecake is kind of like sex. Even mediocre cheesecake is pretty damn good. “So, that’s the million won question, Kwan. Why _do_ you like him?”

Seungkwan’s shoulders drop and he unfolds his arms, sighing. Even from beneath the cap and sunglasses, he looks defeated and kind of tired. Bordering sad. Which, Mingyu cannot allow.

“I dunno,” Seungkwan says softly, turning his cup of coffee back and forth by the handle. It’s mostly empty. They’ve been here spying for the better part of an hour. “I just like that he’s different, I guess. He’s so chill and easy going. And every time we talk, I feel like I learn something new. A new perspective. And he doesn’t mind me being _me_. You know, loud and expressive and sometimes too much? He likes it, he told me.”

“Kwan,” Mingyu says, setting his fork down on his empty plate with a clatter. “You know that’s how things are supposed to be right? Like when you’re dating or thinking about dating someone, they should like you for _you_. You shouldn’t have to make accommodations. If someone doesn’t like how _vocally passionate_ you are, how _eager_ you are to make people _smile_ and _laugh,_ you need to drop them. You’re smart and funny and amazing. And for every person who thinks you’re too much for them, there’s a dozen who think you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“God, ‘Gyu,” Seungkwan says after a moment, his voice high. He pulls up the jacket sleeve to dab at his eyes. “You’re going to make me tear up.”

“So, are there any other real reasons you have chosen this weird-ass art boy to fall for? Because right now it’s looking pretty baseline. Like yeah, he’s cute but there must be more.”

Seungkwan chuckles, choking back the tears. He’s sounding happier than he has all day. “He _loves_ my ass.”

“He can get in line.”

“He loves my singing voice.”

“Congratulations he has good taste.”

“He’s a really _really_ good kisser. Also, I may have snooped his camera roll when he left his phone open while he went to the bathroom once. And like, I think he’s into some really freaky stuff.”

That catches his attention and Mingyu can’t help the giggle that escapes. He reaches a hand up to cover his mouth, cheeks already heating. “What kind of stuff?”

“ _Weird stuff_ ,” Seungkwan says, leaning forward and wiggling his brows. “But you know, I am awfully open-minded.”

“Oh my god, Kwan,” Mingyu says, hiding behind his hand. “Am I going to have to go hide at Wonwoo-hyung’s when Hansol comes over?”

Seungkwan shrugs noncommittally. “Well, if things turn out well for me...maybe.”

+

Sleeping wasn’t quite a hobby for Mingyu, but it is something he really truly valued in his life and always made time for. Always. After a week of assignments all coming due at once, a group presentation, and then a test this afternoon, he was ready to go home and _sleep_.

As he made his way into his apartment building, he was considering whether he should eat first then shower then pass out, or if he shouldn’t even bother showering and just eat some snacks while horizontal and _then_ pass out. He was pretty damn tired after such a busy week.

As he approached the elevator in the lobby of his building, he noticed someone else was waiting for it to come down too.

Wonwoo.

Of fucking course.

But instead of his usual calm and well put together demeanour, he looks stressed. He’s shifting from foot to foot and his dark hair looks less neatly styled and more like a hand had been running through it. And like, not in a sexy way. (Mingyu thinks it still looks kind of sexy regardless of the other man’s intent).

What catches Mingyu off guard the most though was the frown on his face, despite holding his daughter to his side. His thoughts seemed elsewhere, ignoring Misun’s little squeals and babbling.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Mingyu can’t help but ask, coming up beside his neighbours.

Wonwoo jumps and turns to him, startled out of his thoughts. When he sees it’s Mingyu, the frown drops and is replaced with a small half-smile. “Oh, Mingyu! How are you?”

“I’m fine, but I asked if everything was alright? You seem...stressed.”

The door to the elevator finally opens with a ding and Wonwoo steps in. “I’m supposed to go to a really important business meeting tonight. My friend, Soonyoung, agreed to babysit weeks ago. But he called me while I was on the way from the office to pick up Misun at daycare and he has food poisoning. _Really badly_.”

“Oh, shit.”

Wonwoo nods, lip curling up in disgust. “Oh, shit indeed. I kind of wish he’d texted instead of calling ... if you catch my drift.” He shudders slightly. “Anyway, it’s Friday night and everyone else has plans. I’ve even called my brother to see if he can come to watch Misun, but he isn’t answering the phone, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I guess cancel dinner-”

“Well, I can watch Misun,” Mingyu says without hesitation, reaching one of his long fingers out for the little girl to wrap a chubby hand around and blow raspberries. “I don’t mind. And I love kids, I’m great with them.”

Wonwoo looks at him with his brows raised incredulously. “Really?”

“Sure! You need help and I get to play with an adorable baby. Don’t worry about it.”

The elevator doors finally opened to their floor and they stepped out together.

“I have to leave in like half an hour, can you come by right away so I can explain stuff?” Wonwoo asks. “If you’re serious.”

“I am. And yeah, I’ll just drop off my school stuff and grab a snack and come over.”

“Mingyu?”

He pauses in his door to look back at Wonwoo and his daughter who are now both smiling at him. The good kind of smile that reaches their eyes and pulls at Mingyu’s heartstrings. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

The blush comes instantaneously, and all he can do is shrug and smile back. “You’re welcome. See you in a few minutes.”

It only hits him that his plans for sleeping are gone when he drops his bag on his bed. Oh well. Worth it.

He’s in the kitchen shoving leftover grilled beef wrapped in lettuce into his mouth as fast as he can when Seungkwan comes in and gives him a judgmental look. A fond and somewhat unsurprised, but judgmental look.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah,” Mingyu manages, his mouth full. He knows Seungkwan hates it when he talks with food in his mouth, but he also doesn’t really have time to care right now. “I got to leave right away.”

“To go where?” Seungkwan asks, coming up behind him and stealing a lettuce wrap and quickly shoving it into his mouth before he can be reprimanded. “You told me you weren’t coming out with Seokmin and me because you had _plans_ to sleep.” He says, putting air quotations around the word _plans_.

Mingyu shrugs shoving more food into his mouth, only glancing up briefly to meet his friend’s eyes. He knows Seungkwan isn’t going to let this slide past without some sort of comment or teasing. “You know our neighbour Wonwoo? The one with the baby? I told him I’d babysit tonight for him as a favour. It’s no big deal.”

“That’s generous of you,” Seungkwan replies, lifting a brow. His brown eyes flicker over Mingyu quickly. “Well, have fun, I guess. You must really like the guy to give up sleep for his kid.”

“I don’t-”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes, stealing another piece of meat and heading back to his room, grabbing his water bottle from the counter. “Don’t bother lying to me ‘Gyu. I’m sure you’ll have fun anyways with the baby. Just don’t get your hopes up about the dad, yeah?”

He knows Seungkwan is saying this out of concern for his well being, but it doesn’t stop Mingyu’s cheeks from burning or his stomach from twisting in a knot. He should trust his friend to know him best and call him out on his foolishness. To see when he has a crush and nip it in the bud when they both know it’s a bad idea and not going anywhere. Wonwoo has a _child_.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, I guess. Have fun tonight.”

Seungkwan nods, waving a hand at him without even turning back. “Oh, I will.”

With that, Mingyu is left alone in their kitchen with his few remaining pieces of meat and his thoughts. He wolfs down the meat and heads back into his bedroom and throws on some sweats and a hoodie. He knows he’ll want to be comfortable for playing with Misun and if any tragedies occur, he’d rather not stain his nice white shirt.

Then he heads down the hall and knocks.

“Oh, good you’re here,” his neighbour says when he opens the door. He’s changed too, from his typical office suit (which already was very nice) to an almost silky looking suit of the darkest blues and a black button-up beneath. Very chic and very overwhelming.

“I’m here,” Mingyu confirms, stepping inside. “So, tell me what I need to know and get out of here.”

Wonwoo chuckles and leads him to the kitchen. There are still boxes scattered around that Wonwoo still hasn’t unpacked and it doesn’t feel like a home yet.

“Here is my number and a list of emergency numbers including my parents and Misun’s pediatrician. The number for the restaurant is here too and Soonyoung’s. He’s still probably sick but may be able to offer help if you need it over text.” Wonwoo tells him.

“Got it.”

“So, Misun usually plays on the floor for a bit when we get home. She has tons of toys and is doing a bit of crawling. Still, she can get around pretty fast so keep your eye out for that.” He says, reminding Mingyu of how they first met. How Misun had somehow managed to get over to him in the hall so quickly.

“I actually went shopping the other day so there’s plenty of food, feel free to cook something. If I find leftovers in my fridge, I won’t be mad. When you eat, Misun can have yogurt or applesauce or like if you’re feeling ambitious you can make her rice porridge.” Wonwoo says opening the kitchen cupboards and showing where things are. “No pressure though. She’s pretty chill as far as babies go.”

“Not a picky eater?” Mingyu asks.

Wonwoo shakes his head. “Nope. But well, all food is still pretty new for her. She has only one tooth so far, so just stick to the soft stuff.”

“Right.”

“Yeah, so after supper, she can play on the floor again or go in her bouncy chair, though she’s almost too big for it.” Wonwoo pauses, glancing over to his daughter babbling on the floor and kicking her legs wildly. Mingyu is glad he doesn’t live below. As cute as Misun is, he’s sure the kicking can get annoying. “She can get quite aggressive with it. But yeah, when she starts to get tired which will probably look like her being fussy and rubbing her eyes, you can make a bottle. It’s one scoop of formula for every two ounces. Make sure it’s warm, not hot.”

“And then bed?”

“Then bed,” Wonwoo confirms, leading Mingyu into the baby’s bedroom. It’s plain white, the walls bare of any decoration or photos. There’s one dresser, a baby swing, a crib, and a rocking chair. “I know it looks kind of sad because I haven’t had the time to really unpack, but Soonyoung and I keep making plans to.”

Mingyu nods, glancing at some of the boxes in the corner. He wonders if Wonwoo would mind if he took the step himself and helped unpack while he’s here. Maybe.

“There’s diapers in the top drawer. Remember to wipe front to back because she’s a girl,” he says, opening the dresser. “And there’s pyjama onesies in the second drawer. You can put her in the crib with her bottle and turn on the music box and peace out pretty quickly.”

“She won’t fuss?” Mingyu cannot help but voice his worry. He doesn’t want to have to call and interrupt Wonwoo at his fancy dinner meetings because he can’t get the baby to sleep. He would rather call his own mother, which would involve a lot of explaining of how he ended up caring for a baby on a Friday night.

Wonwoo shakes his head. “No, she shouldn’t. Especially if you play with her all evening and wear her out.” He pauses, his face breaking out into a smile, looking behind Mingyu to the doorway.

Mingyu turns and sees a drooly Misun giving them a gummy grin. She is so cute it almost physically hurts.

“Are we talking about you?” Wonwoo asks, his deep voice turning to a softer gentler tone. He squats down and she quickly begins to crawl towards him. “Did you wonder where we went?”

Misun squeals, blowing out bubbles of spit.

Wonwoo picks her up and lifts her into the air, making her laugh and spit some more. “You got to be good for Mingyu, okay, sweetheart? He is a big boy, but he just wants to play like you. You are going to have to show him around because I got to go.”

He hands Misun to Mingyu, who eagerly takes the baby and pulls out his phone from his pocket. “My ride is waiting for me downstairs. Are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s asking a lot for someone you barely know.”

Mingyu smiles at him, following him to the front door. He watches as his neighbour puts on his jacket and ties his dress shoes. Both are fancier than anything Mingyu owns. Minghao would probably recognize the brands with a respectful nod. “Of course, I want to help, really. Besides, I love kids. It’s a win-win.”

“Seriously though,” Wonwoo says, holding Mingyu’s gaze, stepping out the door. He looks like he almost wants to say something more from the way the corner of his smile twitches but after a pause, he just says, “Thank you for this.”

He lifts Misun’s hand and makes her wave at her father as he heads down the hall to the elevator. “Bye! Have fun!”

Mingyu shuts the door and sets the baby on the ground, turning on a toy of three singing frogs in a row. “You sit here and play while Oppa goes and makes supper, okay?”

Misun gives him a gummy, drooly grin. She really is adorable. At nine months old, Misun is chubby and adorable, with rolls everywhere and round squishy cheeks with dimples. She can sit up and roll, and basically do weird yoga moves when she catches her balance. And pull herself up on furniture and crawl. No walking yet though.

He stands straight and looks around him at Wonwoo’s apartment. He’s alone with his neighbour’s baby in his neighbour’s apartment. He can handle this. He will do more than handle this, he’s going to a damn great job and Wonwoo will come home impressed.

Mingyu quickly heads into the kitchen to get to work. He decides to make Misun’s food first. He takes out the rice Wonwoo had shown him and measures it out and rinses it under water before putting it into a pot to cook.

He had spotted a sweet potato in one of the cupboards earlier, and quickly takes it out and begins to peel it and then cuts it up. He adds it to the rice in the pot and puts a lid on it.

“Your rice porridge is cooking,” he calls to Misun, who squeals away happily in the living room. He can see her perfectly from here and feels confident enough now to try something a bit more ambitious.

He takes this moment to check his phone quickly. He has a few new messages from Seungkwan already.

_6:30 pm_

_Having fun with baby?_

_We miss you!!_

_6:47 pm_

_I am!_

_Cooking for baby and am going to do meal prep for Wonwoo_

The reply is almost instant. He shakes his head, leaning against the counter as he reads the messages.

_6:48 pm_

_Seokminnie says he’d wife you up ‘gyu_

_Have fun playing appa_

_6:49 pm_

_Tell seokmin i’ll consider it_

_And i will! She’s so cute I want to die_

Mingyu decides he needs music. He finds a familiar playlist (re: dancey K-pop from the 2010s) and gets to work. He works quickly, boiling eggs and frying meat, cooking more rice. He talks to Misun the whole time, ensuring she hasn’t found her way into trouble yet.

“Your appa is going to be so happy to come home and find food for the week!” He tells her, taking out vegetables to chop. “And that’s good for you. It means more time for him to play with you.”

After about forty-five minutes, the rice and sweet potatoes are cooked into a sufficient mush. He takes out the tiny blender he saw in another cupboard, the kind for smoothies, and pours the contents of the pot into it.

“This might get a little loud,” he warns the baby before turning it on. When it’s a blended slurry, he puts it into the fridge to cool down and turns back to everything else he has cooking.

He decided to do small quantities of everything, so Wonwoo won’t get bored of eating the same thing over and over. He takes out containers and starts measuring out equal amounts of rice into all of them. Then, in two, he puts the spicy chicken with Asian pear in with sesame carrots and zucchini. In another two, he puts cooked slices of beef with steamed broccoli. In the remaining containers, he puts a helping of spicy noodles, a serving of kimchi, and a boiled egg. On top of each one, he sprinkles scallions and sesame seeds.

He stacks all the containers in the fridge feeling very satisfied with himself. He’d chosen relatively safe dishes, and if Wonwoo doesn’t like them (he had all the ingredients for them, so Mingyu assumes they’re safe) he can come over and eat them.

For himself, Mingyu decides just to make ramen. He really is hungry again. By now he’s tired and he’s really missing his planned extra hours of sleep. He’ll make enough for Wonwoo to eat some for leftovers too when he gets home or tomorrow.

He wonders briefly if his neighbour will be drinking at this fancy business dinner. Then, it hits him that he doesn’t even know what kind of business Wonwoo does.

“Misun?” He calls, stepping into the living room. She rolls over to look at him, toy car in her mouth. Wonwoo was right, she is a good baby. “What does your appa do for work?”

She bangs the car against the floor.

Mingyu can’t help but feel a bit foolish, not knowing. But he isn’t about to text Wonwoo and ask. He wonders if he could text Wonwoo’s best friend, Soonyoung was his name, right?

He goes over to the list of phone numbers and looks. Yes, Kwon Soonyoung. But texting him randomly would be weird. Especially when Mingyu knows the guy was in some serious GI distress earlier.

Instead, Mingyu takes this opportunity to add all the phone numbers to his phone. He wants to be a good babysitter, ready at all times. And he kind of wants Wonwoo’s number, he’ll admit it.

Finally, Mingyu takes the sweet potato rice porridge out of the fridge and pours himself a bowl of ramen, taking it to the small table. He pulls out the highchair and grabs Misun from the floor and plops her down in it. Bibs are hanging off the back of it, so he puts one around her as well.

“Are you hungry?” He asks her, taking a seat. “Oppa made you delicious rice porridge. If you like it you can have some more another day, there are leftovers!”

Misun smiles widely and bangs her fists against the table.

It turns out that Misun does like it. In fact, _she loves it._ She eats the entire little bowl Mingyu had brought to the table.

“Good stuff?” He asks, matching her wide smile, pleased. She is so adorable it's kind of hurts. “You like it so much you have it all over your face!”

After they’re done eating and a brief fight trying to wipe Misun’s face (much to her displeasure) they finally go and play on the floor. They both enjoy this, which Mingyu isn’t surprised by. He’s still a child at heart.

But it’s not too long before Misun’s giggles are turning more into whines, and she rests her face down on the plush rug, rubbing her eyes.

“Getting tired?” Mingyu asks, getting up from his own position on his stomach on the floor. He heads to the kitchen and takes out a bottle and fills it with water and adds the formula, remembering Wonwoo’s instructions.

He screws the top pieces in place, feeling proud that he figured out how to assemble the plastic nipple and the ring that holds it in place. Then, he starts to shake the bottle to mix up the formula. _And_ he’s shot in the face with a thin stream of the liquid. It gets _everywhere_.

“Fuck,” he gasps in surprise, immediately stopping. He feels suddenly very foolish. He realizes needs to cover the tip of the plastic nipple where the pseudo milk comes out when the baby sucks.

He snorts.

Then he tries again, covering the end of the bottle as he shakes. It works much better the second time. On the counter, there’s a bottle heater thingy, and he puts it in there for a few minutes.

He goes back to the living and kneels beside Misun, whose cries have gotten increasingly fussy. “Let’s change your diaper and then go to bed, okay?”

If he’s being honest, Mingyu’s least favourite thing about babies is changing their diapers. He loves everything else, really. But diapers? In the past, he almost always handed the baby back to its parents when it came time to change their diaper. But not always, which means he’s knowledgeable enough to handle things. Even if he kind of wishes he wasn’t.

“Here, hold this,” he says, giving Misun’s thrashing arms a rattle to hold. It’s enough to calm her slightly, distract her enough for him to get her out of her clothes and change her quickly.

“I’ll be right back,” he tells her, heading to her bedroom to grab an onesie for bed. He realizes he should have gotten it before he started changing her, but in his defence, he is kind of new to this baby thing.

She fights getting dressed, not wanting to put her limbs into the right holes of the garment. By the end, she is red-faced but has no tears in her eyes. Just cranky. Just tired.

“Okay, you are ready for bed, my dear,” he tells her softly, picking her up and heading to the kitchen to grab the bottle. He’s given enough bottles to his little cousins that he knows to check the temperature on the back of his hand - you shouldn’t even be able to feel the milk. But Misun’s old enough now it’s not as much of a worry.

He puts her in her crib and when he gives her the bottle, she eagerly takes it.

Mingyu lets out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he was holding. He’s got this. He’s the baby master. Or Misun master at least.

He turns on the music, shuts off the lights, and quietly closes the door. He stands there and waits for a moment, listening.

With no sound from Misun, Mingyu goes and cleans up the kitchen. He checks his phone. Eight forty-five. No new messages.

He looks around. It isn’t messy necessarily, but Wonwoo’s apartment looks lived in. It needs tidying. Mingyu hopes he’s not being presumptuous when he busies himself picking up stray bottles and thrown toys. It’s just a little thing to him, but he’s sure it’ll make a difference to Wonwoo who’s so busy all the time.

By nine-thirty, Mingyu himself is tired. He wonders if he would be a bad babysitter to nap on the couch till Wonwoo gets home. He didn’t say what time he would be back, and well, Mingyu did give up his plans to sleep for this. He is so _tired_.

He’s awoken a few hours later to crying.

Mingyu bolts up from his position curled up on the couch, something he always does, despite his size.

“Oh, it’s okay, Misun,” he says when he opens the bedroom door and the light from the doorway illuminates the crib. Misun is sitting up, face red and tear-stained. “Are you hungry? Need a new diaper?” He asks, mostly to himself. Wonwoo did not give instructions for this.

Still, Mingyu picks up the baby carefully and holds her to him, rocking back and forth. He decides his best plan of action is to make another bottle and put her back down.

He is so damn tired. Honestly, Mingyu didn’t know how parents do this. He doesn’t know how _Wonwoo_ does this.

+

When Wonwoo gets out of the cab it’s past midnight and his step isn’t as steady as he’d like it to be. He is slightly drunk and very tired. He hates how obligated you are to drink and outdrink your coworkers and business partners. He knows it’s about creating a comradery and a bond, but he has a _baby_ at home and hasn’t slept through the whole night in months. He just wants to go check on Misun and pass the fuck out in the comfort of his bed.

As he rides the elevator up to his apartment his mind flickers to Mingyu. He’ll have to do something to thank Mingyu for babysitting on such short notice. Maybe buy him dinner or something.

His drunken brain allows him to smirk to himself and consider how if things were different and they had met under circumstances Wonwoo might’ve liked to _really_ take Mingyu out to dinner. And maybe more. But well, they are neighbours, and he has a kid. And honestly, Wonwoo is okay with that. He’s made his choices in life. He is happy.

He was doing well, even if he was raising Misun by himself. He is doing good at work. The business dinner had been a success. His boss was there, watching him with a careful eye and making unnecessarily cryptic comments on how the _young_ mister Jeon (re: Wonwoo) was always so busy with a new baby at home by himself.

This, of course, did nothing but stir the metaphorical pot of the business dinner, gathering interest and subjecting Wonwoo to both subtle interrogation and judgment by the other guests.

Wonwoo is used to it by now.

When he unlocks his apartment door, he is feeling less drunk and more tired. His limbs are slow to respond, and his eyes are struggling to stay open. He knows he can’t go to bed without checking on Misun first though and tries to stay awake enough for that first.

When he flicks on the lights inside his apartment and finds it clean, he’s pleasantly surprised. But still, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Mingyu’s giant frame draped across his couch with Misun on his chest, both of them fast asleep. And both of them are drooling.

Wonwoo reflexively reaches a hand up and clutches at his heart through his dress shirt. “So cute,” he whispers, reaching for his phone and snapping a photo. He automatically sends it to Soonyoung. His mom and Soonyoung basically receive every single photo Wonwoo takes of his daughter. Not that they necessarily love her more than other people in his life, but they’re the ones most proud of Misun and are always wanting to show her off to people.

He hates to disturb such an adorable sight or a sleeping baby, but he knows he shouldn’t let Misun stay there in case she or Mingyu moves. Though, he can’t deny the fact he’s slept like that a few times too, with Misun on his chest or next to him in bed. He likes the closeness, the comfort of his daughter. He loves her more than anything else in the world.

Wonwoo picks up the half-empty bottle from the floor beside the couch and sighs through a smile. He supposes Mingyu wasn’t lying when he said he was good with kids, loves them. Not everyone would do this kind of thing. It makes him look at the younger man in a different way. Mingyu really is surprising and an absolute softie if what Wonwoo has seen so far is anything to judge from.

“Let’s get you to bed, little sun,” he murmurs, picking up his daughter from Mingyu’s chest which rises and falls in slow even breaths. Her little face scrunches up and she raises her hands in fists, flailing them blindly, upset at being disturbed from her sleep.

“It’s okay, shhh…it’s okay,” he tells her, heading towards her bedroom.

She goes back to sleep easily, for which, Wonwoo is grateful. He is too tired and probably too inebriated to deal with a fussy baby tonight. Which reminds him of the boy on his couch. Mingyu is still fast asleep.

Wonwoo grabs a blanket from his room and brings it out to the living room, gently covering Mingyu with it. Soft light of the city pours in from the large windows, illuminating the curves of the younger boy’s face. Shadows catch on his strong jaw, the soft swoop of his lips and the gentle curve of his nose. He looks less strikingly handsome like this, Wonwoo thinks absently. Younger. More like how he is on the inside. Sweet and soft and pretty.

Mingyu interrupts his thoughts with a whine, turning to face the inside of the ouch and curling his long legs into him. Or tries to at least.

“Goodnight, sleeping beauty,” Wonwoo says softly, lips curling up into a smile through his yawn.

He’s so damn tired. Fucking business dinner. Damn boss. As he heads to his room, tossing off his suit jacket and kicking off his pants he can barely keep his eyes open. He half sits, half falls to the edge of his bed where he struggles with clumsy, exhausted fingers to undo the buttons on his shirt. He wonders if things will always be like this, or if things will get better once Misun is older. He can only hope, he realizes as he sets his glasses on the bedside table. Then he falls back into his bed in just his boxers. Sleep takes him instantly.

+

When Mingyu wakes up he doesn’t know where he is at first. Which, in his experience, is always bad. He can tell he’s wearing pants though, which is a good start, all things considering.

He blinks blearily as he sits up, looking around him. This is not his and Seungkwan’s apartment. It takes a few seconds for it to click before he remembers everything. Wonwoo. Misun.

“Misun!” he gasps, looking around him. She isn’t on the couch with him and she definitely was last night.

He bolts up. A blanket he doesn’t remember having falls to the floor in his hurry. “Misun?” he repeats, confused. She isn’t on the floor or in the living or the kitchen either from what he can see.

Then it hits him. _Wonwoo_. He must have come home last night and put his daughter to bed and given him the blanket.

Mingyu, being fundamentally an easily flattered and overwhelmed bitch, cannot help the blush that spreads across his cheeks as he stands alone in Wonwoo’s living room at nine in the morning. As much as he likes taking care of people, feeding them, and making sure they’re content and happy, he can’t help but feel embarrassed when someone takes care of him. But he likes it more than he would ever admit. Wonwoo by simply putting that blanket on him makes Mingyu feel small and cared for, things he rarely gets to. But it’s probably just Wonwoo’s natural paternal instinct to take care of people, to be responsible, Mingyu tells himself, shaking his head.

The sounds of soft babbling draw his mind back to the moment.

Mingyu bends down and picks up the blanket and heads to Misun’s bedroom. She’s wide awake in her crib, sitting up with a wide gummy and disgusting drooly smile.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he says, picking her up, wrapping her in the blanket. “Did your appa put you back to bed last night when he got home?”

She squeals a reply.

“Should we change your diaper and find some breakfast?”

He carries her to the living room and makes quick work on her diaper and makes her a bottle. Mingyu doesn’t dare go check on Wonwoo, whose bedroom door is halfway open. He doesn’t know what time the older man got home, but as much as Mingyu loves to sleep, he knows Wonwoo needs to catch up on his too. Babies do not let you sleep for long stretches. Mingyu might as well give his neighbour a break and let him sleep in today.

With Misun content to drink her bottle on the floor, Mingyu finds himself back in the kitchen. First thing first, he puts on a pot of coffee to brew. He’ll need it to stay awake.

He decides the least he can do for his neighbour is to make some breakfast. So, he puts on some rice to cook and takes out tofu to season and the ingredients for an omelette. And kimchi, because well, it goes with everything and he might as well serve some too.

It isn’t long before everything is cooked and ready, and instead of eating, Mingyu decides to wait. He covers it all to stay warm and goes and lays on the floor next to Misun to play with cars.

That is how Wonwoo finds him and his daughter when he finally wakes up an hour later, appearing in his bedroom doorway in just his boxers and round glasses.

“You two having fun?” he asks, his normally low voice turned rough and husky with sleep, despite the teasing and amused tone.

Mingyu freezes, glancing up at his neighbour.

Wonwoo is tall like him, but he’s of a leaner build, thinner with less meat on his bones despite being broad across the shoulders. Still, the muscle he does have is clear to the naked eye (no pun intended), and Mingyu can’t help his gaze as quickly he takes in the smooth curve of Wonwoo’s stomach muscles and the straight lines of collarbones.

“Of course, hyung,” he manages to answer, eyes darting back to Misun. Then, “I made breakfast.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Wonwoo says, coming into the living room. 

He grabs a hoodie from the back of a chair and pulls it on before sitting down on the couch. The hoodie is grey but definitely stained with what looks like baby formula and/or spit-up. It looks two sizes too big and swallows Wonwoo whole, sleeves hiding his hands and the hem ghosting the edges of his boxers.

He sits rather undignifiedly, slumped back with his legs spread wide. “But I won’t say no to food if you’ve already made it. And is that coffee I smell?”

Mingyu nods, sitting up. He is a bit overwhelmed by Wonwoo and he doesn’t want to acknowledge it. He needs to act normal. Or some semblance of normal at least.

“Are you an actual angel?”

Mingyu beams but looks down from Wonwoo’s smile. It is too early on a Saturday morning for his nearly naked hot neighbour with a baby to be complimenting him like this. Mingyu won’t stand for it. He needs to try to preserve some dignity.

“A common misconception, but no,” he answers softly, with less teasing conviction than he’d like. He isn’t good at witty banter like Seungkwan. Everyone always expects him to be, but well, he’s too much of a blushing easily flattered _mess_ to get out the right words at the right time. “But we can eat if you want. And I made sweet potato rice porridge for Misun last night, and we can reheat some of that for her. Or maybe try some apple sauce?” He directs this last part to the baby so is looking at him with her big brown eyes and fat dimpled cheeks.

“Wow, you sure have been busy,” Wonwoo says with an impressed nod, bending down to scoop up his daughter and bring her to the highchair.

Mingyu follows him and takes out the rice porridge for Misun, heating it up. He’s glad he made it and is happy she likes it so much. It makes him feel kind of special.

Wonwoo joins him in the kitchen and pours himself a cup of coffee and then another mug, throwing a glance at Mingyu before asking, “What do you want in yours?”

This time, Mingyu can barely hold back the blush from his cheeks. It’s a simple question, a simple gesture, but such an intimate one. Wonwoo isn’t even thinking about it all, just instinctively taking care of Mingyu.

“Um. Not too pale, but very sweet.”

“Ah,” Wonwoo says, his deep voice making Mingyu automatically turn his full attention to the other man as he prepares their coffee. He picks up both cups and brings them to the table, setting them down before taking a seat. He takes a sip of his own, eyes flickering to Mingyu’s, holding them before he offers a small toothy smile and finally says, “Just like you.”

It is physically impossible to hold back the blush this time.

“Yeah, well, uh,” Mingyu chuckles nervously, grabbing the food and bringing it to the table. It takes two trips, but finally, he sits down, practically throwing himself into the chair. He can’t find the words to reply. To muster an adequate response. “Let’s eat.”

“This is really good,” Wonwoo offers after a few bites, pushing up his glasses with the heel of his palm. “I might have to keep you around if you’re such a good cook. Even Misun agrees, right little sun?”

Misun bangs her fists on the table and squeals.

“Little sun?”

“Yeah, Soonyoung gave her that nickname,” Wonwoo tells him, feeding another spoonful of porridge to his daughter. She ends up with most of it on her cheeks, but he swipes it back into the spoon for the next bite. “She is just this bright little star in our life, I guess. Just a happy little sun that, despite everything, has done nothing but made our lives sunny. A reason to smile.”

“That’s so cute,” Mingyu cannot help but smile with a soft sigh, looking at the baby who smiles widely back. “Soonyoung and you must be so close for her to mean so much to him.”

“Yeah, we are,” Wonwoo nods, trying to feed Misun another bite. “I don’t think I could’ve done this without him. With him, I guess I wasn’t alone, but you know what I mean. He stayed here a lot when she was first born and occasionally still does to help. Babies are a lot of work, even the really good, adorable ones.”

Mingyu takes all this in, chewing thoughtfully. “Babies _are_ a lot of work.”

“Chew with your mouth closed at my table, please.”

“Sorry.” Mingyu blushes, looking down at his food sheepishly.

Wonwoo just shakes his head and takes another bite of his own breakfast.

When they’re done and Mingyu has helped clean up, much to Wonwoo’s fussing that he’s already done so much, (it only gets worse when he discovers all the prepared food in the fridge), he decides he better go back to his apartment.

“Can I pay you?” Wonwoo asks as Mingyu stands by the door, shifting from foot to foot, eyes downcast. He’s looking at the other’s skinny hairy legs, which are once again on display. “You really did me a favour. Actually, you went out of your way and did me a lot of favours, please let me pay you.”

“I can’t accept your money, hyung.”

“Can I buy you something? Dinner at least? As a thank you?”

This suggestion has Mingyu quickly and adamantly shaking his head in refusal, not even letting his mind run away with the implications and possibilities behind such an offer. Seungkwan’s warning from the previous night ring in his ear.

 _Just don’t get your hopes up about the dad, yeah?_ Because that’s _exactly_ what he’s doing. Wonwoo is a _father._ He’s hot and he’s caring and he’s a _dad_. The chances of his interest in Mingyu besides as a friendly neighbour are quite low given the current evidence presented in a chubby nine-month-old baby girl named Misun.

Before he’s given the chance to verbally refuse the offer, the front door he’s standing in front of is knocked on once before the sounds of keys and the clicking of the lock.

The door swings open and in walks a guy about his age wearing basketball shorts and a grey hoodie that similarly to Wonwoo’s, looks two sizes too big. His eyes are pretty curves that lift towards the outer edges that when he flashes a quick smile, disappear in the most charming way possible, thanks to his full cheeks.

Mingyu is utterly taken aback. The boy is attractive in a sort of endearing way. He smiles with his whole face in a manner that makes you want to do it back.

“You’re the bakery neighbour boy?” The stranger who has let himself into Wonwoo’s apartment asks, but it sounds more like an accusation. A cheerful and curious accusation.

Mingyu nods slowly, eyes flickering to Wonwoo for confirmation that he is, in fact, bakery neighbour boy. He has not considered what Wonwoo may say about him to others. This label isn’t incorrect, but perhaps, in his own opinion, a bit limited to the extent of their relationship. He thought they were friends. Or friendly, at least.

Wonwoo nods once.

“Kim Mingyu.” He offers after a moment with a quick bow. “I live two doors down. I watched Misun last night.”

“I know,” the stranger replies. “You’re much taller than I expected,” he adds, bending down to pick up Misun who has dragged herself over. She smiles her gummy smile at him, and he kisses her chubby little red cheeks. “Hello, my little sun!” He greets the baby, voice turning softer. After that, an introduction is unnecessary, but he still turns to Mingyu and says, “I’m Kwon Soonyoung. I basically live here too.”

Mingyu nods and offers a polite smile back. He can’t help but feel like he’s overstayed his visit and with Soonyoung here now. He feels like he’s intruding. “Well, I best be getting home,” Mingyu says, stepping towards the door. He’s not wrong. He is tired and needs to get all the shit done he’s been ignoring when focusing his attention on school. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet today and should probably shower.”

“Oh, stayed the night? Slept well I presume?” Soonyoung asks, raising a brow and throwing a glance at Wonwoo. He’s still smiling, but it’s less bright and more...mischievous. But Mingyu doesn’t know the other boy well enough to even try to decode the meaning. He seems more playful than Wonwoo, despite them being best friends. Younger. But then again, Mingyu doesn’t really know his neighbour that well. How can he be fairly passing these judgments over brief and limited observations?

“I didn’t get home until late,” Wonwoo explains, mouth opening wide into a yawn, scrunching up his narrow nose and eyes squeezing shut. It reminds Mingyu of a cat how unabashed his neighbour is, showing off his entire mouth of straight teeth mid-sentence. “Now, please stop teasing the poor boy and let him go home.”

Soonyoung rolls his eyes and steps aside. “I know. You’re no fun, Won.” He turns his gaze to Mingyu and smiles again, less blindingly and more earnest, kinder this time. The number of smiling styles Soonyoung has is a bit unnerving. Especially considering he’s only been here for five minutes. How many sides does this boy have? He must be a Gemini. “Well, it was nice meeting you Mingyu. Thank you for watching our little sun and bringing out baked goods. I greatly appreciate it.”

“Anytime.”

“Be careful what you offer. You might end up here just as much as me. Though, I can’t blame you. Misun is pretty cute and Won’s not that bad either.”

“Soonyoung stop,” Wonwoo says, opening the door for Mingyu. He gives his friend an annoyed side glance, eyes turning narrow behind his glasses and lips turning into a thin line. He has stubble above his lip, dark and threatening the rather clean-cut nature of his handsome face that Mingyu is used to. His mind is suddenly running wild with possibilities of what Wonwoo would look like after a weekend of not shaving. His mind momentarily goes wild. It’s even worse than the leg hair. “Thank you, seriously though, Mingyu. For babysitting. And cooking. And cleaning.”

Soonyoung shoots him another look, one that Mingyu can’t decipher between the two friends. He knows best friends when he meets them. They often have their own language, their own secrets, and understandings. Seungkwan and he do, so he can’t judge. Still, he wishes he knew more about what Soonyoung was communicating to Wonwoo nonverbally. He wants to know more about Wonwoo in general, and Soonyoung seems to be a part of that process.

But not today. He’s stayed too long. Intruded into their own time that he has no part of. So, he just shrugs in what he hopes looks like a nonchalant manner before leaving. “As I said,” he says, eyes flickering to Wonwoo’s. “Anytime."

+

“ _Hyung_ ,” Mingyu says, voice rising an octave when he opens his front door. It’s the Monday after he babysat Misun. “What are you doing here?”

Wonwoo is alone, wearing black shorts and a white t-shirt with a black collar. It’s a simple outfit, but with his glasses and his damn hairy legs and slippers, Mingyu is in partial shock. He’s half asleep and hadn’t considered Wonwoo to be a possibility to find on the other side of his door. Maybe a delivery guy with a package Seungkwan ordered. Not this.

“Did I wake you up? Sorry,” Wonwoo says, but he doesn’t look sorry. He looks amused at how shocked Mingyu is. It’s disarming, the entire situation. “It is like eight in the evening. Not exactly late.”

“I wanted to go to bed early,” he answers, blinking. “I like to sleep. A lot. I slept for twelve hours on Saturday after I got back from your place.”

Wonwoo’s brows furrow. “Were you that tired? I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Oh, no it wasn’t,” Mingyu quickly says, realizing his error. He doesn’t want his neighbour to feel bad or like he inconvenienced or affected him negatively. “I just sleep a lot. It’s like my one passion in life. Well, that’s not true. It’s just a simple pleasure I allow myself to indulge in. Me sleeping a lot isn’t related to you or your daughter. It’s just me being me.”

“Okay, noted,” Wonwoo says slowly, almost like he wants to say more on the subject, but doesn’t. “I just wanted to thank you again.”

“Hyung, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know,” Wonwoo says. “But I wanted to. Also, if you want to babysit again or come over and play, just ask. Or text. Before I came over, I realized that while I provided you with my number, I didn’t get yours.”

“Oh, I have yours in my phone, hyung,” he says, pulling it out of his pocket. He must physically force himself to not blush or giggle. He can’t let on that him having his neighbour’s number is a big thing to him. It was for practical reasons. Obviously. “I can text you now, so you have mine.”

Mingyu looks up from his phone where he’s already pulled up Wonwoo’s contact and typed in _hi misun’s appa,_ flashing a shy smile. “It’s only fair.”

“And convenient. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

They both look at their phones for a few seconds, lapsing into silence. Mingyu doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to say goodbye, he likes seeing Wonwoo, but he’s tired and this is unexpected. He’s unprepared.

“I uh,” Wonwoo begins, clearing his throat. It pulls Mingyu from his thoughts and he looks up at the older boy hopefully. “I really do want to thank you for watching Misun on such short notice and cleaning and cooking and like everything else. You went above and beyond. And on such short notice. I am really grateful.”

“Hyung-”

Wonwoo cuts him off, raising a hand. “No, I’m serious. Let me take you out for supper or something. Come to the park with Misun and me one day. I don’t know, I just want you to realize that what you did was a huge favour.”

Mingyu cannot help the smile that tugs on the corner of his mouth and he bites his bottom lip, trying to hide it. “You’re too generous, hyung. I said it’s fine.”

“How about you text me and let me know when you’re free? Like I said it can be less fancy if that’s what you prefer. The park would be nice, Misun likes people watching. It could be fun.”

It could be, Mingyu agrees. “Okay, I will text you.”

“Good,” Wonwoo says, reaching out and setting a hand on Mingyu’s shoulder. He shakes his head, not unkindly. “Now go back to bed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You make me sound so old. We hardly have an age difference.”

“Sorry, hyung,” Mingyu yawns. His mind is still fuzzy between sleep and Wonwoo. “I’m tired.”

With a serious nod, Wonwoo tells him, “hi tired. I’m Jeon Wonwoo.”

At the dad joke, Mingyu chokes out a laugh. Which he realizes means only one thing: he’s in _way_ too deep.

  
  



	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said when i finally updated this I was going to overshare so this is me saying that the only reason I know how to take care of a baby is bc my brother had an affair and I had to take care of his 3 kids including a baby under a year for an entire summer so. The knowledge for this fic comes at a high price lol I hate my brother
> 
> if this is incoherent its bc I wrote it 2 years ago and just reviewed and beefed out a bit I'll probs go and fix it but ignore errors for now
> 
> also happy valentines day

Mingyu’s second love is food. He’s a simple man.

When his friends suggest going out to eat, he rarely turns it down. Which is how he ends up in a family restaurant not far from his university, exhausted from working that morning, then attending classes. And very hungry.

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Seungkwan says, watching as Mingyu shoves an ungodly amount of noodles into his mouth. In his defence, they are delicious.

“It’s honestly kind of impressive,” Minghao comments from the other side of the table, eyes saucer-wide with concern. In contrast, Minghao is elegantly pulling his long noodles out of his bowl and into the air, twisting them onto a spoon. “You have a huge mouth, ‘Gyu. By that attribute alone you shouldn't be single.”

“Thanks,” Mingyu says with a roll of his eyes, mouth full. He’s used to being teased. A part of him actually likes it, though he would never admit that. At least, not when sober.

Beside him, Seungkwan shakes his head, disgusted but resigned. Mingyu is who he is. " _Maybe_ I should mention how big your mouth is to our _dilf_ neighbour.”

He swallows hard and then gasps, eyes going wide. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would too, and you know it.”

Long elegant fingers drumming against a green bottle of soju, Minghao smirks, amused. “So, you do truly have a crush on your neighbour then? And he has a daughter? Really, ‘Gyu, of all people to choose.”

“He’s cute! Sue me!” Mingyu shoots back, suddenly defensive. As much as he would love any excuse to talk about Wonwoo, he doesn’t want to sit through dinner being judged and his feelings torn apart. He knows it’s stupid and a bad idea. Everything his friends could say to him, Mingyu’s already thought it himself. Crushes on straight men are the worst.

“We just want the best for you,” Seungkwan says, not unkindly. His soft gaze says a million more things, used to talking through issues from growing up with sisters. But he knows this isn’t the time or place. “And I hate seeing you unhappy.”

Frowning Mingyu picks up another mass of sticky noodles. “Well, I am happy, okay? I know it isn’t ideal, but being friends with Wonwoo-hyung won’t hurt anything. It’s a crush. I’ll get over it.”

Minghao nods in understanding. He’s more realistic than Seungkwan, always tells things to Mingyu straight, never sugar-coating. But even he knows there’s no point in pointing out the obvious problems in Mingyu’s life, for which he is thankful. “What about you, ‘Kwan?” Minghao asks instead, thankfully changing the subject. He lifts a thin dark brow, eyeing Seungkwan meaningfully. “Hansol and you seem quite close lately. What’s up with that?”

Seungkwan shifts in his seat, suddenly very interested in his own noodles. “I don’t know. I mean, we’re friends. We hang out. Normal stuff.”

Mingyu shakes his head in disapproval. He knows what a load of bullshit that is. Seungkwan and Hansol have kissed! That’s beyond normal stuff by most standards. But boys are dumb. Mingyu should know, he is one.

“He’s cute,” Minghao offers. “Don’t you think?”

Beneath his bangs Seungkwan’s brows knit together, dislike of the subject change plain on his face. “Yes, I know that.”

Minghao shrugs in his ridiculous neon jumpsuit. “I’m just saying.”

The topic of his best friend’s crush hasn’t come up in a few weeks, and Mingyu can’t help but feel the need to prod more. Just because he has an unrequited crush doesn’t mean his best friend hasn’t found love. “Has anything happened after the kiss and semi-drunk confession?” Mingyu asks after a moment. He wants to know the details. It’s unlike his best friend to be reserved about a boy he likes. And he doesn’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

“I don’t know,” Seungkwan says with a shake of his head. His hair has faded from red to washed-out pink. “It’s confusing. I don’t know what we _are_. Like we hang out lots still but don’t really flirt. He hasn’t said anything about feelings. But he texts me every day and kisses me goodbye and stuff. Just a peck, but still, it must mean something, right? You don’t usually do that to friends.”

“Depends on the friends, I guess,” Minghao says. “But I doubt Hansol would. He doesn’t seem like the type to kiss the homies goodnight, you know? I would say he likes you, but he might be a bit on the dense side when it comes to communicating feelings.”

Mingyu nods in agreement, shoving more noodles into his mouth. They really are good; they should come to this restaurant more often. “Yeah, I think you need to just be more obvious with your displays of affection. Start cuddling and kissing more or something, see if he pushes you off confused, or if he reciprocates. Or like maybe just sit him down and be like: so, are we dating?”

“Both are valid options.”

Seungkwan sighs. “I just don’t want to ruin whatever is going on between us.”

“If Hansol is the person I think he is, a slight wake-up call is all he needs,” Minghao offers with a soft smile. “Honestly, Kwan, you have _nothing_ to worry about.”

Seungkwan smiles back. “Alright. Thanks, hyungs.”

Minghao clears his throat and turns his entire torso to look at Mingyu dramatically. “ _Mingyu_ on the other hand-”

“We’re not talking about that!”

+

Wonwoo is leaving a meeting in the boardroom when his phone rings. When he reads the name on display something in his chest tightens.

“Can you bring these back to my office?” He asks his assistant, handing over his tablet, binder, and coffee. “Thank you!”

His assistant gives him a friendly wave. “I’m taking lunch after dropping these off.”

“You’re amazing!” He calls after her. Then he takes a breath and answers his phone, heading down the hall for a bit of privacy. “Hello?”

“Hey you,” the familiar bell-like voice greets him. “Do you have a minute to talk? I know you’re probably at work.”

“Just got out of a meeting and it’s lunch,” he says, a smile spreading across his lips as he finds the lounge at the end of the hall empty. It has big windows, comfy velvet couches and is lined with bookshelves. “I can talk. You know I always have time to talk to you.”

“Aw, always the suck-up. That’s why my dad loves you,” she teases. Even over the phone, Wonwoo can tell she’s smiling and there are two matching dimples in her cheeks.

“Not anymore,” he gives a dark laugh. “But I’m working on it.”

“He’ll come around, don’t worry,” she says, not unkindly. “Anyway, that photo you sent me of Misun this morning was so cute. I can’t believe how big she is getting!”

“I know,” Wonwoo says, looking out the windows. It’s cloudy, spitting rain, but the business district is still abuzz. “Every day she changes.”

“You’re doing a good job,” she tells him. “I know you don’t hear that enough, so I’m telling you now. You’re a good dad, Won. You’re a good person. Not everyone could do what you’re doing.

Warmth spreads through his chest. Simple words. But his entire business is based on the power and importance of words. He understands their power. “Thank you. Really, it means a lot. I’ll keep sending you photos, don’t worry. Misun should be walking soon, too.”

“That’s so crazy. It seems like she was just born…I’ll let you go eat lunch,” she says. “Though, I’m sure it won’t compare to the lunches I’ve been having in Paris.”

“I’m sure it won't,” Wonwoo agrees. “I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”

“Byeee!”

Hanging up, Wonwoo sees it has stopped raining outside. He should be able to run across the street to a café and get something to eat. He didn’t pack lunch, again.

He goes to his office and grabs his jacket and wallet. He gives nods goodbye to the staff as he exits the building. Honestly, he’s just grateful he doesn’t have to ride the elevator with the senior Mr. Jeon. Their meeting had involved a lot of clashing opinions on the budget for the next fiscal year. Wonwoo’s position had been the one approved, the board supporting him fully. That didn’t stop the dark looks Wonwoo received from across the table.

The café is unsurprisingly busy. It’s noon and is full of umbrella-wielding office workers. Wonwoo orders his food to go. It comes wrapped in wax paper with a cute panda sticker. He takes his food back up to his office to eat alone and checks his calendar for what his afternoon holds.

When he gets in the elevator, he’s joined by Eunwoo, one of the company’s many editors. “Mr. Jeon!” She greets him with a bright smile. “How is the baby doing?”

Being the dad he is, Wonwoo pulls out his phone and shows her the pictures of his daughter with mashed banana all over her face from this morning. “She is lovely,” he tells her. “An absolute little hell-raiser. She’s crawling now, you know.”

Eunwoo coos. “She’s getting so big! She looks so much like you, too.”

He nods, pocketing his phone as the elevator stops for the editor’s floor. “Yeah, she has my eyes.”

“And your love of books?”

“I mean, I think so,” he tells her. “Though she has chewed several board books.”

Eunwoo laughs as she waves goodbye. “That’s just what babies do. You’re doing good. We’re all rooting for you, you know.”

Wonwoo’s lips curl into a smile at that. “Yeah, I know.”

When he reaches the top floor, he goes to his office. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he begins to eat. It’s good, though it doesn’t compare to that week of lunches made by Mingyu.

His neighbour really is something else. Wonwoo doesn’t think he’s ever met anyone quite like Mingyu. He’s interesting. Absurdly good-looking, but clumsy, shy, and kind. And _so_ good with Misun. Wonwoo hopes no one takes advantage of that kindness. He feels bad enough for being unable to pay the younger man for babysitting. He really should do something, call him up and take him out to eat or shove money in his mailbox.

Wonwoo pulls up his calendar and sighs, pushing his glasses up. Maybe next week he can call Mingyu.

+

He’s at the library when his phone begins to vibrate aggressively against the table. When Mingyu reads the name, he frowns with worry and answers.

“Hyung?” He whispers. “What’s wrong?”

“Can’t I just call to talk?” Jeonghan asks, sounding slightly offended.

“Oh,” Mingyu whispers. “So, everything is fine?”

It’s almost ten at night and the few people left in the library are shooting him daggers with their eyes. He had got caught up in a project, is almost done. Then he was going to head home, sleep, and review it a final time before setting up a meeting with his professor to discuss it.

“ _Well_ ….” Jeonghan says. “No. Not one, but two of the bakers have called in sick within the last hour. They won’t be able to come in tomorrow morning.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen. One baker down and they might have managed. So much of the prep is done the night before anyways. But two? That changes things, especially when their bakery is so small. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Jeonghan says with a chuckle. A pregnant pause follows, and he knows Jeonghan’s probably biting his lip. “So, ‘Gyu….my favourite pretty boy. Would you be willing to come in to cover a shift?”

Which would mean starting a four in the morning. Getting to the bakery by four and being able to function and be productive.

He glances at a clock on the library wall. He will probably leave here around eleven. Get home by midnight. He will only get four hours of sleep if he agrees.

“No one else is available?”

“No,” Jeonghan says, sounding as tired as Mingyu feels. “Tomorrow morning it will be you and me covering. Not perfect, but at least we wouldn’t have to cancel or delay orders.”

Mingyu lets out a chuckle. “I hope you’re not planning on decorating.” Jeonghan is notorious for how badly he was at cake decorating. His work in the kitchens usually involved the pour and mixing of batter.

“Never.” Then, “you would be compensated appropriately, too. And you wouldn’t be expected to work in the front. By the time we open, I probably won’t be much help, so I’ll work the shop. What do you say?”

The extra money would be nice. It would make up for missing sleep. And he really does like working in the kitchens. He learns something every time he helps.

“Okay,” he relents. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Thank you!” Jeonghan cheers. “Love you!”

Mingyu hangs up and drops his head to the desk, letting it thud softly. He’s tired and not done his project yet. And he still has to get home.

He sighs. Time to get to work.

The early shift at the bakery isn’t as bad as Mingyu had been making it out to be. Mostly, because he genuinely likes baking. The other staff compliment him on how easily he picks up things, how he always manages to perfectly lay fondant or pipe icing along edges. Jeonghan, on the other hand, does not do well and gets assigned mixing duty with threats not to come near the buttercream icing.

When his shift is over, Mingyu is smiling. He gets several comments on how he’s welcome to come work in the back anytime, that he has real natural talent.

“Boss,” one of the bakers says, “you’re wasting him upfront, you know.”

Jeonghan laughs. “Maybe, but he has such a pretty face!”

Mingyu goes to school exhausted, but happier than he’s been in a while.

+

Wonwoo does text Mingyu inviting him out to eat several times, but each time he’s too busy or tired. Wonwoo doesn’t push him. When he does see Mingyu in their building's lobby he _does_ look exhausted. Mingyu still takes the time to make small talk and to coo at Misun, so Wonwoo figures he’s being honest.

His work has become more demanding. He had been expecting the change, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Especially now he hasn’t slept through the night in months. But he loves his job, and he loves his daughter. He’s making it work.

“We’re going for lunch, Wonwoo,” his boss, the senior Mr. Jeon - no blood relation - says to him from Wonwoo’s office doorway. The fact he doesn’t ask if Wonwoo wants to go for lunch but _informs_ him, does not go unnoticed.

Wonwoo is in the middle of a million tasks. “Right away, sir?”

His boss nods once, adjusting his tie around his neck like it’s too tight. All those late breakroom donuts, business dinners and takeout from working late in the office have added up over the years.

“Just let me grab my jacket,” Wonwoo says, holding back a sigh. He knows better than to allow any sort of discontentment to show. Their relationship is unique and sometimes _very_ trying. Wonwoo attempts to only focus on the benefits. Why he does what he does. Why he’s done what he’s done.

Instead of their typical cafe or upscale restaurant, his boss suggests (tells) they try a bakery that his secretary suggested. They ride in his boss’s car, and Wonwoo can’t help but feel aware of the driver when the questions start.

“So, how has Misun been doing lately?” His boss asks, putting down his phone and looking over to Wonwoo with careful assessment.

“Good,” he says automatically. But he knows he must do better, so he corrects himself quickly, “Excellent. She is doing well and then some: very healthy and has a good appetite now that she’s trying real food.”

“Any favourites?”

The question takes him slightly off guard, but he nods slowly. “Yes. My neighbour made her sweet potato rice porridge, and she can’t get enough of it.”

Wonwoo was surprised by Mingyu’s cooking skills and his generosity in both the kitchen and in general. If he was being honest, Mingyu, fundamentally, is surprising. Wonwoo kind of likes it though. He wants to learn more about his weird, cute neighbour. Misun likes him and he trusts her judge of character.

“Her mother liked rice porridge, too,” his boss says softly after a moment. He offers a small smile, or at least attempts one. “You will have to bring Misun for a visit soon. I’ll let her mother know that Misun likes it too.”

A sensitive topic. “I’m sure she would like to hear that.”

His boss nods once as the car pulls to stop. “I think so. She made her choices, but that doesn’t mean she has to miss out on everything.”

The driver comes around and opens the door for Wonwoo and his boss, who step out into the bright sunny streets looking a bit out of place in their business suits and ties. Everyone else is dressed like they’re coming from Seoul fashion week. It’s a cute neighbourhood, high end and posh Wonwoo quickly realizes. Perhaps his suit doesn’t look that out of place after all.

“Let’s get sandwiches to go at that deli,” his boss points to the shop ahead of them a few storefronts, “and then go to the bakery I mentioned earlier for dessert. It’s supposed to be the best in Seoul. Absolutely unparalleled and worth every penny for those who can afford it.”

“Sounds fancy,” Wonwoo comments, following his boss down the street to their first destination. “Are you also going to try to fatten me up?”

His boss laughs from deep in his belly, a genuine sound and response. It makes Wonwoo remember how once he admired the older man. And his boss had once held him to the highest esteem.

“I’ve been trying for years!” His boss winks at him, entering the deli. “Are you just catching on now?”

Wonwoo shrugs, stepping inside to have his senses immediately assaulted by the smell of freshly baked bread and richly seasoned meat and the freshest of produce. “Well, if you have, you haven’t been doing a very good job of it.”

“You’ve got me there,” his boss chuckles back, heading to the counter to order.

Wonwoo turns his head a bit to look around him. This too, by the looks of the sleek black countertops and shining white tile walls that reflect the weird modern chandelier that hangs down, is also high-end. Not that this should surprise Wonwoo, he knows his boss only likes the best.

After they order and get their sandwiches, Mr. Jeon suggests they go and sit by the window to eat. He seems to be in a good mood, the teasing proof enough. Wonwoo wonders how long it will last.

“Your new apartment is good?”

“Excellent. A bit smaller and much more manageable for me.”

His boss frowns into his sandwich. “You know if you had agreed to stay in one of the buildings I own you wouldn’t have to worry about rent. And if size had been an issue, I could’ve gotten you a maid.”

This is an old conversation, an old argument. They’ve both already said what they had to say on the matter months ago. Wonwoo has already moved, damn it, and he’s happy. Misun is happy.

“I know, which is very generous of you, but I know what’s best for me and my daughter in our day-to-day life. We’re doing really well.”

“And you’ve met your neighbours already? The one, she made the rice porridge, you said?” His boss says, pausing to check his phone which has begun vibrating against the tabletop.

“ _He_ made it, yes. He’s actually younger than me, has offered to babysit if I ever need it.”

His boss sets down his phone, eyes on Wonwoo, assessing him. “And you trust this stranger with your daughter? With my _granddaughter_?”

Now it’s Wonwoo’s turn to frown. He doesn’t like his judgment questioned. He’s not stupid. It was his boss who has boasted of Wonwoo’s excellence and intelligence over the years. Why is he suddenly being doubted?

“Yes,” he says firmly, setting down his sandwich. “He is great with kids. I’ve watched them play together, and I don’t know who is having more fun. And he’s a great cook. He’s really responsible for a kid in university.”

There’s a tense pause.

“Well, if you’re sure,” his boss concedes, standing up, sandwich gone. His good mood is waning already. Wonwoo is glad he doesn’t have any meetings with him this afternoon. “You know what’s best for your daughter,” he pauses, watching as Wonwoo hastily finishes up eating and follows him to his feet. “But remember, she’s _my_ granddaughter too.”

He says it levelly enough, but to Wonwoo’s ears, it sounds like a threat.

Back on the street clouds have blown across the sun, leaving it cooler and overcast. He follows a step behind his boss to the bakery, hoping that a bit of something sweet will improve both of their moods.

Like the deli, the bakery is an assault of smells. This time, it’s sweet and light and like pomegranate and lilac and a dozen other things mixed into a giant crucible of _delicious_. Somehow it is not too much. It’s just enough of everything to make Wonwoo want to try something, and maybe not mind how many commas there are after the won sign. Not that he can’t afford it, he just thinks it’s frivolous to spend so much money on food. He makes plenty of money. And because of Misun, his boss sends him another few million won every month. This Wonwoo does not touch. Instead, he puts it into a savings account for his daughter to have one day.

“This is quite nice,” his boss comments, looking around at the marble counters and beautiful bouquets around the bakery. A compliment from the older man really means something, and Wonwoo has half a mind to make a comment to the staff that they can probably rely on business from their company in the future. That is if the food is actually good.

“Let’s order something and see if it tastes as good as this place seems,” Wonwoo says, heading to the counter. There’s a long glass case filled with beautiful, colourful, and delicious-looking pastries. His eyes drink in the sight, absolutely overwhelmed by the options. He makes a mental note to take Soonyoung here one day. His friend would hate him for the first five minutes, making comments about his fitness diet - then proclaim his love of everything he tried.

Reflected on the glass, he can see the staff on the other side of the counter in black dress pants and a pressed white button-down shirt. 

_Damn_ , Wonwoo thinks briefly before straightening up to smile and order. This place is fancy if they make their staff out front dress like it’s a wedding every day.

When he does look up though, he’s taken aback.

“Hyung?” Mingyu asks, eyes wide and mouth hanging up dumbly. It’s cute because it’s _Mingyu_ and being a bit of a dork is part of his charm, but still.

“Oh,” says Wonwoo, reaching up blindly to adjust his tie. His hands suddenly need to be doing something. “‘Gyu. So, _this_ is the bakery you work at. You didn’t mention it was so fancy. You look ready to go on a date dressed like that.”

Mingyu, god bless him, is completely red in the face and looks on the verge of running away. Wonwoo knows he shouldn’t tease the younger man, but now that he knows how easy it is to get a rise out of him, he just wants to keep praising and complimenting Mingyu. There is something about making a tall handsome man blush.

“Uh…yes this is my bakery. Wait no! Not _my_ bakery, obviously. But like mine as in the one, I work at. Clearly,” Mingyu says flustered, cheeks now an alarming shade of red. He puffs out his cheeks then sighs, defeated. “What can I get you?”

Before Wonwoo can reply, his boss is coming up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You know this boy?”

“This is my neighbour, the one I mentioned to you earlier, actually,” he says, a bit hesitant. Wonwoo is suddenly quite aware of how much he has boasted about Mingyu, defended him and his place in his and Misun’s life. He hopes his boss doesn’t go and interrogate Mingyu or try to scare him off. He likes his neighbour and doesn’t want him to stop being a part of his life.

“Kim Mingyu,” the younger man offers with a bow, nearly hitting his head on the counter as he goes so low, so quickly.

Wonwoo has to fight back laughter.

His boss nods, eyes flickering over the boy. “I thought you were in university?”

“I am. Studying architecture,” Mingyu says with a hesitant smile. He doesn’t know who the older man is, but he’s smart enough (or just a kiss ass?) to put on his best behaviour for Wonwoo’s companion. “But it’s a long process. I work here part-time for a bit of extra money and partly because I love baking and cooking.”

“I see. Well, Misun loves your rice pudding I hear. You’ll have to make her some more.”

“Definitely,” Mingyu says quickly, eyes finding Wonwoo’s for confirmation. “She loves it. She likes most food, but that’s her favourite, I think. Right, hyung?”

Wonwoo nods in agreement, matching the other boy’s smile. “I think so.” Then he looks over the array of pastries on display again. “Now, ‘Gyu, what can you recommend to us to try before we go back to work?”

The younger man’s entire face lights up. “Well, if you like chocolate....”

+

Mingyu’s classes drag on.

He’s sitting in a lecture, mind anywhere but in the room. All he wants to do is go home and take a nap. Maybe eat something. He wonders if Seungkwan would be down for getting pizza. Pizza would fix this. He’s still in a bad mood from earlier. His prof hadn’t cared for his project; he'd stayed late at the library finishing. She said it was good, but at this point, she was expecting _amazing_ from him.

He's about to text Seungkwan when his phone vibrates Mingyu’s eyes widen when he sees it’s a message from Wonwoo. He had been purposefully not letting his thoughts stray to his neighbour, his _friend_ because he knew that it would put a full halt to his productivity.

He still isn’t over Wonwoo showing up with his boss (he had texted later saying it was nice to see him) at the bakery the other day. The unexpected visit to his work was still surprising and a bit confusing.

How could Wonwoo afford to come to a bakery like Mingyu’s? He still doesn’t know what Wonwoo even does for work. Their relationship is weird, skipping basics for casualty due to proximity. And the visit and its effect on him hadn’t gone unnoticed. Mingyu had been teased by Jeonghan for the rest of the day about his blush, asking who his _special_ friend was. He went so far as to say Mingyu isn’t getting any younger, he better think about settling down. Which is unfair because Jeonghan only got married a few years before after finding out his then casual fling was pregnant. They turned out to be a good match though, so Mingyu can’t judge. He just knows that scenario would never happen to _him_.

Mingyu slyly takes his phone out, despite being in class. Wonwoo has him breaking all kinds of rules. Mingyu feels kind of foolish, but he sure as hell is not going to ignore his neighbour’s text message. He feels bad enough about turning down offers of supper in the past few weeks due to his schedule.

_3:44pm_

_Hey do you wanna come over later_

_Misun misses you_

_3:45 pm_

_Misun cant talk how do you know lol_

_3:47 pm_

_Im her appa i know everything ;)_

_But come on i can order food or something_

_3:47 pm_

_Pizza?_

_3:50pm_

_Pizza. Consider it done._

_Are you at school? What time are you done?_

_3:51 pm_

_Yes and soon_

_My brain isn’t working today :(_

_3:55pm_

_Lol you sound like me_

_Keep working hard i believe in you :)_

_See you around 6 i got to finish up here_

_3:59 pm_

_See you then! :)_

By the time Mingyu leaves campus, he’s in a much better mood. He hasn’t seen Misun for a few days and kind of misses her. That’s the thing about babies: you don’t see them for a week and so much has changed, another milestone reached. They’re just cute little growing machines, and Mingyu doesn’t want to miss anything.

He realizes, stepping into his apartment to shower before going over to visit, that he’s gotten quite attached to the little girl. And Wonwoo by association. He thinks of his neighbour's text message. _Misun misses you._ Was that Wonwoo’s subtle way of saying he misses Mingyu? Not that he’d have much to miss. They can hardly be considered friends, they’re _neighbours_. Friendly. Mingyu wants to be friends though.

He dumps his school stuff on his bed in a pile for him to deal with later. He has readings and projects to be working on, the never-ending demand of school on him. Between school, work, and just trying to be an adult, Mingyu doesn’t have much time to relax. He knows he can’t complain, he’s pretty lucky to have parents that help support him and a best friend to share the rent with and his troubles.

Still, he can’t help but think about his conversation with Jeonghan about having a special someone and settling down. He can’t help but question his future. At this point in his life, he’s still too young for him to imagine forever. He’s too much of a people pleaser, always agreeing to other’s ideas without considering his place in the grand scheme of things. Mingyu knows he’s a bit fickle, that he needs something steady, to help guide him and support him. Seungkwan does his best, but he has his whole life and troubles to deal with to put up with Mingyu’s whiny ass all the time.

He sighs when he finally steps into the shower. The warm water feels good on his skin, a sweet welcome home like a spouse's kiss.

The analogy in Mingyu’s mind has him shaking his head as he reaches for the shampoo. He wouldn’t know anything about a spouse's kiss as he has never managed to keep a relationship longer than a month. Every girl he tried dating he soon realized he liked more as a friend, his proclaimed bisexuality finally ebbing away for him to accept his true inclinations. And every guy he’s met that likes guys too _and_ was into him never wanted to do more than a quick tumble behind closed doors. Which Mingyu wasn’t really into, considering his combined need for long term love and attention.

His mind wanders again as his shower routine sets in. Which lately, means finding its way to Wonwoo and Misun. He tries not to read into what that means. It will just lead to a stern-sounding Seungkwan voice popping up. Which he doesn’t want in his head while he’s naked if he’s being honest. Still. _Wonwoo_.

Mingyu considers how weird it is to have an almost-friend (he and Wonwoo text now, does that just make him a friend? Was he overthinking this?) with a baby. Growing up is weird.

When it’s almost six he dresses nice enough he looks good but comfortable enough he can get on the floor and play with Misun and/or be drooled on.

“Where are you going?” Seungkwan asks, sitting on the kitchen counter and eating ice cream.

Mingyu freezes in slippers as if caught mid-crime. “Um…” He slowly turns his gaze to his best friend. Then he notices Seungkwan is not alone.

“This is Hansol.” Seungkwan nods his head at the other man in their kitchen. Though Mingyu saw Hansol the one day at the café, this is the first time he’s actually met him. And last Mingyu heard the nature of their relationship was still unknown.

“Oh,” Mingyu flashes a toothy smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Hansol gives him a gummy smile and nods. He’s in jeans and an atrocious rainbow sweater, which Mingyu takes to mean Seungkwan either needs to stop worrying if the man has a crush on him or Hansol really loves gay people. Because the sweater is _bad_. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things, I hope!” He heads for the door, seeking his escape.

“Answer my question!” Seungkwan says. “Don’t tell me you’re going to see the dilf next door!”

Hansol laughs. “I should have never taught you that.”

Mingyu turns with his lips pursed and eyes wide, seeking atonement. He reaches for the doorknob.

“I see,” Seungkwan says, shaking his head in defeat. “Go, then. Go play with the baby. Go bask in the hot dad vibes. Go, I can’t stop you.”

Mingyu grins. “See you later!”

Wonwoo answers his door after two knocks with a bright smile. He’s still dressed for work in pressed slacks and a green button-down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “The pizza got here literally two minutes ago. You have impeccable timing.”

“Thank you,” Mingyu says, entering the apartment. Something inside him twists at the simple compliment. He hates that it does. “Where is my favourite neighbour?”

Misun squeals at him from the living room floor in a striped red top and brown corduroy overalls. Toys are scattered around her haphazardly. Octonauts plays on the television.

“Hey,” Wonwoo says, crossing his arms. “I’m offended.”

Mingyu is already on his knees, grabbing a light-up penguin toy and making it waddle towards Misun. “You’re a close second.”

“Fair.” Wonwoo laughs, heading into the kitchen. “We better eat before it’s cold. Can you bring her here to the table?”

Once the baby is settled with small pieces of fruit and some cheerios, Mingyu and Wonwoo turn their focus on devouring the pizza. Mingyu hadn’t realized how hungry he was. It turned out _very_.

Mingyu’s on his third slice when Wonwoo gets up and grabs two bottles of beer from the fridge. He opens them both, setting one down in front of Mingyu. “So,” he says, smiling as he brings the bottle to his lips. “I suppose I should ask how your day was.”

“Long,” Mingyu says through his mouth full of pizza. He swallows, grabbing the beer, mostly to hide his nervousness. “How was your guy’s day?”

“Misun had a good day at daycare according to Miss Kim, her teacher,” Wonwoo says, reaching over and poking one of his daughter’s chubby little cheeks. She grins at him. “I had a pretty good day too. I had a few meetings in the morning then got to spend the afternoon doing final reviews, which is my favourite part of my job.”

“Reviews?” Mingyu picks up his pizza again. “What is it you do for work? I don’t think you’ve actually ever told me.”

Wonwoo’s brows lift in surprise. “Really? Oh. I work for a publishing company. The largest in the country really.”

“Like, book publishing?”

Wonwoo nods. “Yes, Jeon Doseo. Before any of the books can go to mass print, they need one final approval from anything from physical features like size, typography, grammar, page numbers. The editors get it right most of the time, but the final review lets us know we are publishing exactly up to company standard.”

Grabbing his beer again, Mingyu hums, digesting the information. Book publishing. And final review. It sounds fancy. Wonwoo must be important if he gets to do that. “Now that you mention it,” he glances around the apartment. It looks much different from when he babysat a few weeks earlier. Everything is tidy, the boxes are gone, and there are several bookshelves taller than him that are filled. “You do have a lot of books.”

“Yes,” Wonwoo chuckles. “I do.”

“Maybe you could recommend me one,” Mingyu says after a moment, scanning the shelves. He turns his gaze onto the older man. “I will be honest hyung; I haven’t read much for fun in the past few years. School kind of sucks the fun out of it.”

Wonwoo flashes him a toothy grin like he’s just been given a birthday present. “Of course! What do you like?”

The truth is, Mingyu has never been a big reader. But he wants to impress Wonwoo, wants to get into his good books. He works for a goddamn publishing company, Mingyu has to find something for them to talk about. To keep getting invited back. “Uh, I’m not sure.” He bites his lip. “Romance?”

“I’ll find something for you after supper.”

Misun slams her fists down suddenly onto the tray in front of her. She lets out a high squeal.

“Are you done, little sun?” Mingyu asks. Most of her food is gone. A good portion of it is on her face and bib though.

She squeals again.

“I think that means yes,” Mingyu laughs. “What a demanding young lady. Good thing you’re cute!”

With expert skill, Wonwoo removes the dirtied bib and takes a wet cloth and wipes his daughter’s hands and face. He pulls her out of the highchair and the pout on her face quickly disappears when he spins her about. She squeals some more, this time in delight.

“Okay,” he tells her, setting her down in the living room and turning on a musical toy. She’s instantly distracted. “You hold the fort down here while me and Mingyu clean up.”

The pizza and beer were both good, and Mingyu is both happy and full. He helps clear the table. “Thanks for supper, hyung.”

Wonwoo shrugs. “Thanks for coming. It’s nice to have company. It’s handy you live close too.”

“Very handy. Again, if you ever need a babysitter just let me know.”

“Trust me, I will.”

They do the dishes and Wonwoo distributes more beer. They head to the living room and watch some television, talking the whole time.

“You know,” Wonwoo says after a bit. “You still haven’t let me take you out for a thank you supper.”

Sitting on the floor with his long legs spread in a V, Mingyu is letting Misun crawl all over him like he’s a jungle gym. “What? Did tonight not count?”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “How about this: you come and spend an entire day with Misun and me one weekend. We can go out to eat, go to the park, go shopping.”

Mingyu considers this. It sounds like fun. There must be a catch. “What do you get out of it?”

“Have you ever tried to do any of those things with a baby?” Wonwoo demands, throwing his head back against the couch. He lets out a frustrated sigh. “You need to lug around all this baby stuff. And the baby. It’s such a pain trying to go out to eat with a baby, so many restaurants don’t have the little chairs and you take up so much space. You might as well not go at all. And you get to the park only for her to try to eat everything she can get her hands on. You can’t look away for one second. Shopping is a nightmare. She tries to grab everything, screams when you try to put things back because you’re not going to buy a goddamn dog toy. She screams until you decide you should just buy the dog toy instead of making a scene.”

A laugh from deep in his belly pours out of Mingyu. “Oh my god,” he says, picking up Misun and holding her drooly face in the air. “Are you that big of a drama queen?”

Wonwoo shakes his head and laughs along. He takes another sip of his beer. “Don’t get me wrong. I love her to death. I would die for her. But life with her is so different. Babies mean more stuff and more planning.”

Misun squeals again as Mingyu lets her down on the floor. “Well, you talked me into it. I’ll go out with you two for a day. It will be fun.”

“You say that now.”

“Hey,” Mingyu says, lips curling into a pout. Misun is crawling over him again, wanting to be picked up more. His shirt is getting wet with drool. “I’m going for _her_ , not you.”

“What about the free food?”

“That too.”

Mingyu turns his attention back to the baby on him. “You are a drool monster, little sun. Yes, look at those rosy cheeks, too.”

“She’s teething,” Wonwoo explains. He spreads his legs wide, bouncing his beer lightly on his thigh watching them fondly. “I gave her some baby medicine to help with it before you came. Otherwise, she would be much crankier.”

“ _Cranky_ ?” Mingyu gasps dramatically. “No, not _my_ little s-” Unfortunately, Misun’s tiny foot lands right on his crotch and her entire little bodyweight is delivered like a punch in the balls. “ _Fuck_.” Mingyu chokes, toppling over onto the rug and taking Misun down with him. She squeals happily. Mingyu is so much easier to climb on like this!

“Oh, baby!” Wonwoo laughs. Mingyu isn’t sure if he’s talking to him or his daughter. He gets on the floor next to them, grabbing Misun off Mingyu’s groaning frame. “You hurt oppa. You better give him a big slobbery kiss to apologize.”

He lifts Misun and sets her down right by Mingyu’s face, which is still contorted in pain. She drools on him. “Thank you, Misun.” He manages, sitting up slowly. Mostly to avoid more drool on his face. “I accept your apology. It was an accident.”

Wonwoo pats him on the shoulder, offering him a kind smile. “If it makes you feel better, she does that to me at least once a week. It doesn’t get any easier.”

Tears in his eyes, Mingyu nods slowly. “How can someone so tiny hurt me so bad?”

“I don’t know.” Wonwoo picks up a toy car and begins driving in along Mingyu’s leg, much to Misun’s delight. “But I do know that I’m just grateful I wasn’t the one who gave birth to her.”

Fair point.

Mostly recovered, Mingyu wants to press about Misun’s mother. But he doesn’t want to ruin the moment. Instead, he grabs another toy car. It’s actually a rubber pig with wheels, but he digresses. He drives it towards Misun on the floor.

“Thank you for coming over tonight,” Wonwoo says a while later. “Really, don’t be a stranger. It’s good to have someone else around. It’s good for Misun to see people too, she’s getting to that point she’s shy of strangers.”

Despite his attempts to stay away, his promise he would get over his silly little crush, Mingyu can’t help but nod. He loves being around Misun too much. And he really, truly, does enjoy Wonwoo’s company. “Okay,” he agrees easily. “I won’t be.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“Mingyu?”

“Yes, hyung?”

“You are covered in baby drool.”

Mingyu groans.

Before he goes back to his apartment Wonwoo presses a well-worn red paperback into Mingyu’s hand. “Tell me if you like it,” he says.

Mingyu glances down at the book, at Wonwoo’s long pale fingers caressing the binding. “I will,” he promises. “Thank you, hyung.”

+

Midterms are approaching and Mingyu is drowning. He’s exhausted, hungry, and feeling royally sorry for himself when he shows up late for work the second time within a week.

“’Gyu,” Jeonghan says to him half-way through his shift. His arms are crossed, and he isn’t smiling. “Can you come to my office?”

A sinking feeling washes over Mingyu. He swallows hard and nods. “Of course, hyung.”

He follows Jeonghan into his office, hands suddenly cold and clammy. He knows what’s coming. Despite being an awesome and caring boss, Jeonghan above all is a businessman. And Mingyu has been far from a model employee lately. He deserves everything that’s coming.

Jeonghan’s office is as elegant as he is. Clean white walls, a sleek modern black desk, a potted plant by the window. A triptych of wedding cakes from Jeonghan’s own wedding (three-tiered red velvet with strawberry, a Victoria cake, and a ten-tiered vanilla cake with buttercream frosting decorated with fondant flowers) hangs on the wall. A picture of his wife and son at the beach grins at them from the computer screen.

“Take a seat,” Jeonghan says, doing the same. There’s a sandwich and a teapot and cups set between them. “Help yourself.”

Stiffly, Mingyu does. He’s hungry. He’d missed breakfast again. The tea is hot too, warming him from the inside. “Thank you, hyung.”

Jeonghan is in a soft-looking pink sweater. He tugs on the sleeve and pushes up his glasses with it. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Mingyu takes another bite of his sandwich. This wasn’t the direction he had expected the conversation to go. “What do you mean?”

“You look like shit and are late. You are sleeping on your breaks. I saw you crying at a cat video one of the bakers showed you yesterday.”

“Oh,” Mingyu says, face flushing. He hadn’t realized others had seen that. “I’m just tired.”

“Bullshit,” Jeonghan shakes his head. “What is going on? Is it school?”

Mingyu finishes his sandwich and picks up his cup of tea. He needs something to steady his nerves. “Yeah, it’s midterms. I have a bunch of big projects due and then tests. It’s not a big deal, hyung. It’s just normal school stuff. It doesn’t excuse my poor behaviour. I’m sorry.”

Reaching for his own cup of tea, Jeonghan keeps his gaze locked on Mingyu, considering. After a minute, he seems to make a decision, eyes softening. “How many more years do you have in your program?”

“One. Then a three-year internship.” He pauses. “I should probably start looking into that school. They’re highly competitive.”

“I see,” Jeonghan says, setting his cup down. “When are your midterms?”

“The last one is next Friday.”

Jeonghan nods, opening something on his computer and typing something. “Okay. You’re off until the Monday after. PTO.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen. “What?”

“You need to focus on your studies.” Jeonghan gives him a no-nonsense glare. “No arguing with your boss either. A thank you, hyung is due.”

Paid time off is not something Mingyu has ever had much of, only working part-time. Solemnly he nods. “Thank you, hyung. Honestly, I thought you were going to fire me. Not give me time off.”

Jeonghan smiles at him. “Ah, don’t be so dramatic. I was going to ask to talk to you today even if you hadn’t been late this morning.”

Mingyu blinks expectantly. He can count the times he’s been called into Jeonghan’s office on one hand.

“Several of the bakers have come to and sung your praises. They think you should move to work in the kitchen,” Jeonghan says. “And I don’t need to remind you almost all of them attended top culinary institutes or worked under some of the top chefs in Asia.”

A pleased flush spreads across Mingyu’s face and he can’t help how his lips twitch up into a smile. “Really? They said that about me?”

“Indeed. And I thought you should know. You have real talent Mingyu. And I am willing to let this be the place that talent is nurtured and allowed to flourish.” Jeonghan’s phone beeps and he glances down at it but doesn’t pick it up. “The choice is yours. It would be a bit unconventional, but not unheard of. It would mean a lot of work on your part. And getting up early.”

It would mean goodbye to sleep. It would be hard to do and keep up with university. It could even mean this _or_ university.

Mingyu bites his lip. “Wow. Um. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything today,” Jeonghan tells him. “You have the next two weeks off. Think about it. No pressure.”

“Okay, thank you hyung.”

Jeonghan smiles at him. “Now go finish your shift and I don’t want to see your tall ass until after you’re done midterms.”

Mingyu stands, bangs his leg against the desk, then bows, flustered. “Thank you, hyung! I will work hard!”

“Get!” Jeonghan orders, laughing and grabbing tissues to dry the spilt tea. “Before I change my mind!”

Later, when Mingyu is studying at the library he can’t help the grin that spreads across his face when Wonwoo texts him.

_5:55pm_

_Are you available this Saturday?_

_5:59pm_

_Only if your name is Jeon Misun!_

_…or you’re her dad!_ _😊_

_6:10pm_

_Luckily, I fall into the second category lol_

_Come over around 10 on Saturday?_

_6:13pm_

_Will do!_

_6:30pm_

_See you then!_

_Thank you again… I rly mean it lol you’re doing me a favour_

_6:33pm_

_I want to hyung_

_It will be fun_ _😊_

_See you then_

_6:55pm_

_Someone is being a cranky pants 2nite_

_Hopefully shes happy on sat_

_She’s getting more teeth_

_7:01pm_

_Ouch. Our poor little sun. Give her a kiss for me!_

_7:45pm_

_Will do. See you sat. Eat before u come over lol misun is used to eating early_

_8:04pm_

_Got it! Goodnight hyung_ _😊_

+

Weekends are Wonwoo’s favourites. It’s not just because he doesn’t have to go to work, because he does like his work, he truly enjoys his job. And it’s not like with Misun he can get any extra sleep, she is still on the same schedule as the other days of the week. He moves at her command. But on weekends, Wonwoo gets a chance to just enjoy the time with Misun a bit more. He misses her when he’s at the office all day.

Mingyu shows up dressed like they’re going to Seoul fashion week in tight jeans, a fluffy-looking sweater, a trench coat _and_ a beret. He’s even done his hair, pushed it back off his forehead showing off his masculine features.

“You look good,” Wonwoo can’t help but comment, welcoming the other man inside. “God, should I go change?”

“Hyung!” Mingyu laughs. “No! You’re fine. You look good, too! Dad-chic.”

Wonwoo looks down at his own jeans (a much looser fit) and a shirt that says in English _My favourite people call me Daddy._ “Soonyoung got me this shirt. As a joke.” He frowns. “I’ll just add my leather jacket. That’ll spice it up. Just because I have a baby on my hip doesn’t mean I don’t have to look good.”

Mingyu lets out a high laugh, eyes widening. “Yeah, that’s the attitude, hyung.”

As Wonwoo grabs his leather jacket, Mingyu bends down to coo at Misun who is ready for their day together in a long-sleeved white onesie with a smiley sun on the belly and matching yellow leggings. She has tiny little black booties too, despite not quite being able to walk. It’s then Wonwoo realizes his eleven-month-old is better dressed than him.

“Do you want to wear the baby or carry the diaper bag?”

Mingyu turns to look up at him, brows furrowed. “Wear…the baby?”

Grabbing the harness-type thing his mother had gifted him, Wonwoo nods. “Yes. _Wear_ the baby. You basically strap the baby to either your chest or back. Misun likes riding in the front-facing forward so she can see everything.” He picks up his diaper bag, which luckily looks like a backpack. “Those are the options.”

“Oh, well, I’ll try wearing the baby,” Mingyu says, standing and taking the carrier from him. He turns it in his hands, tilting his head. “But I’ll need help getting it on.”

Wonwoo chuckles. “Yes, trust me it’s much easier with two people. Whenever I do it myself, I just pray Misun stays happy. Though, I’ve gotten quite good.”

He has Mingyu button up his trench coat. Wonwoo then goes behind the taller man and does up the buckle around his waist. “Okay, grab the baby.”

“Facing out?”

“Yup.”

They then stick her little legs through the harness and pull up the arm straps, which Mingyu struggles with, but manages to get on. Wonwoo laughs the entire time, making adjustments so the carrier will fit properly and they’re both snug.

“How’s that little sun?” Mingyu asks, turning to look at himself in the mirror-closet. “Do we look cool?”

Wonwoo shakes his head and pulls out his phone. “There’s no looking cool with a baby, sorry, ‘Gyu.”

“Speak for yourself,” Mingyu counters. He and Misun are sporting matching grins as bright as an August sun.

“Pose.” He lifts his phone.

Mingyu puts a hand on his hip and the other gentle to his forehead. Misun smiles dopily and is drooling on the carrier already. Wonwoo takes several photos. He sends them to his mom and Soonyoung. And one to Mingyu.

“Adorable.” He slings the diaper bag on his shoulder. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Adventure time, little sun!”

Misun babbles a serious response and they head out.

+

They end up shopping first.

They wander from store to store, mostly finding things for Misun, though Wonwoo manages to be talked into getting a pair of heeled boots. When he put them on, he was taller than Mingyu. For some reason that made the younger man turn a worrying shade of pink but nod viciously saying he looked good. Wonwoo will wear them when out with Soonyoung and Jihoon to cause problems on purpose.

Mingyu, still carrying the baby, tries on a big pink fur coat. Wonwoo laughs and takes another picture. Misun’s eyes are huge in the photo. The colour and texture are amazing to someone who’s only been around for less than a year. Everything is new and exciting.

Wonwoo buys them all snacks from street vendors, Misun even trying a bit of theirs. By one though, Mingyu and Misun are both whiny and hungry. They find a café with lots of open space. Wonwoo is still worried about taking up too much space with a baby.

“God,” Mingyu huffs, collapsing into a chair seconds after Wonwoo has retrieved Misun from the carrier. “That thing wears you down. My back is going to be sore tomorrow.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Wonwoo coos. “What a big baby!”

Mingyu frowns, removing the carrier and putting it on the empty chair next to him. “Me or Misun?”

Chuckling, Wonwoo sits down across from him and sets Misun on his lap. “Both of you. Both my big babies.”

Though Mingyu doesn’t say anything, the way his ears suddenly turn red is undeniable. Which was exactly what Wonwoo had hoped would happen. He wonders if he’s being mean. He hopes not. It’s so fun to tease the younger man.

“Want to make a bottle?”

Mingyu nods, grabbing the bottle of water from the diaper bag. The bag is insulated, so the water is still warm from this morning. Mingyu carefully unscrews the top from the bottle and measures in baby formula, returns the top, and shakes.

“You’re pretty good at this baby stuff,” Wonwoo tells him honestly. “I’m impressed. Most guys your age wouldn’t be down for this, you know that right?”

“I’m not like most guys my age.”

“I’m beginning to realize that,” Wonwoo confesses, drinking in the sight before him. His neighbour is young, tall, handsome enough to be a model, smart, and irrefutably kind. The fact he would rather spend a day with Wonwoo and his daughter instead of going out with his own friends says something about his character. And there is the whole shy blushing thing. “You’re really special you know.”

The effect of his words is instant: Mingyu lets out a high little laugh. “Shut up, hyung. Now, give me the baby so I can feed her.”

“She can feed herself,” Wonwoo says, amused. He does what he’s asked though.

Their waitress comes then, praising Misun of course. They order their food.

And sitting there, his daughter on Mingyu’s lap, Wonwoo realizes how easy this is. He’s happy. He’s not stressed or worried about anything. He is out to eat in public with his baby and everything is fine. It’s great. Maybe it’s because he’s not alone, maybe it’s because he’s with Mingyu specifically. Wonwoo always knew doing the single dad thing would be hard. It just makes him so grateful to have Mingyu in his life.

“Thank you for agreeing to this,” he says suddenly. “I appreciate it. You have no idea.”

The younger man turns his look of adoration from the baby to Wonwoo. It doesn’t morph into something else. “Hyung,” he says, “I’m having a great day. Thank _you_ for inviting me.”

Something shifts in his chest at that. A real fondness for the other man is growing. “Kim Mingyu, what am I going to do with you?”

Just then their food arrives and when Mingyu takes a bite and lets out an appreciative moan. “You can keep stuffing me with good food in trade for baby care.”

Wonwoo snorts. “Done.”

When they’re done lunch it’s Misun’s nap time, but Wonwoo isn’t ready to head home yet. Instead, they head to a nearby park.

“We’ll lay out a blanket, change her, and she’ll be out like a light, trust me,” Wonwoo tells a skeptical looking Mingyu. “She’s had a really busy day. She is tired, look at her.”

And they do just that. And within the first ten minutes, Misun’s little eyes are shut.

“Tell me about your schooling,” Wonwoo says as they sit together, his long legs crossed on top of the blanket. “You like it?”

Mingyu nods. “Of course.”

“What do you like about it so much?”

The younger man takes a second to consider the question before answering. “I like how innovations can take into consideration things that have been ignored in the past. We are designing and building structures that are not only beautiful, often self-sufficient. And all in new and exciting ways.” He pauses, reaching out and stroking Misun’s head. “Things are being created that are more considerate of mothers. Of families. As you know, a lot of public spaces aren’t designed to make bringing your kid with you friendly. Buses and trains often don’t have the space for strollers, for example. Imagine how different Seoul would be if it was designed by mothers.”

“Or dads!” Wonwoo adds. “But yeah, I see your point. I hadn’t ever considered any of that before. It’s amazing.”

“Yeah,” Mingyu sighs. “It’s also a lot of work. I’m drowning in schoolwork.”

Wonwoo frowns. “What? You shouldn’t have agreed to come along today if you have more important things to do.”

“No, trust me, I needed today.” Mingyu gives him a serious look that looks so odd on his handsome face. Wonwoo has never seen it before. “My midterms are this coming week and I’ve been working non-stop. I’m off work until after midterms too, so I’ve been studying and working on projects without break. Today I am getting recharged to go back to studying tomorrow.”

He knows Mingyu has a busy life. He’s seen him returning to their apartment building late, bags under his eyes, and practically dragging his bag. It might be his new paternal instincts kicking in, but he can’t help but worry about the younger man. “Balance is important in life.”

“I know, hyung. That’s why I work at the bakery.” He bites his lip as if debating to say more. “I actually got offered to take on a bigger role at the bakery. Doing more actual baking.

“Do it if you want to. But don’t burn yourself out.”

Mingyu smiles at him, toothy and slightly wolfish. It matches his puppy personality. “I won’t. I am focusing on school after today. Then it’s a week of tests and it’s over. Then things go back to normal.”

“Still,” Wonwoo says, drumming his fingers on his thigh. “School and work are a lot. Make sure you’re taking time to stop and smell the roses. You’re only young once.”

Mingyu laughs. “Hyung! You say that like you’re twenty years older than me instead of one. Take your own advice! You’re young too.”

“I have a baby,” Wonwoo counters, poking at her little fat leg. His heart swells with love just looking at her. “I have responsibilities. I have dedicated my entire life now to taking care of a tiny human and making her the best possible person I can. You on the other hand just need to take care of yourself.”

“But I like taking care of her too,” Mingyu says without pause. He looks up and their eyes lock. Mingyu bites his lip and shrugs. “I mean. Well. I don’t know. I like taking care of people I love. And I really do love Misun.”

“You’re too sweet, you know that?”

Mingyu looks like he wants to shoot something back, but shakes his head before sighing, shy again. “Yeah, yeah. I get it, I'm a loser.”

“You’re not a loser,” Wonwoo says. “You’re a good person. You’re a great friend. And you’re going to make an amazing dad one day.”

Mingyu looks out at the park, leaning on his knees. “I doubt it.”

“What?” Wonwoo lifts a brow. “You’re amazing with Misun. Your time will come, ‘Gyu.”

There’s a long pause as they watch some people bike by. Finally, Mingyu glances down at Misun, splayed out and asleep and says, “things aren’t that easy. But I can hope.”

+

“How do you keep this place so tidy?” Soonyoung asks, flopping onto the couch. “You should see my place.”

“I have,” Wonwoo says. “There’s a reason Jihoon doesn’t ever want to go home with you.”

Soonyoung shoots him an offended look. “Keep my sex life out of this.”

He sits down beside his best friend, resting his bowl of ramen on his chest. “I got to talk about someone’s sex life since mine doesn’t exist.”

“Sad.” Soonyoung starts scrolling through Netflix. Misun is playing happily with some light-up toy. “Can’t you fuck that your neighbour? He’s hot.”

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo’s eyes widen. “No!”

“Why not?”

“He’s…he’s…” Wonwoo struggles to find a decent explanation of their relationship. Or of Mingyu. “He’s just a friend.”

Soonyoung puts on an anime they’ve both seen multiple turns and gives him a skeptical look. “We’re just friends and we’ve fucked.”

“Handjobs at sixteen doesn’t count. That was experimentation and sad.”

“Mingyu is cute,” Soonyoung continues, unphased. “He’s tall, handsome. Strong jaw. And you said he’s dorky. And he’s good with Misun, right? What more could you ask for?”

“That’s the thing: he’s too good,” Wonwoo says. “He adores Misun and she loves him. I can’t go ruin everything by trying to come onto him. He’s probably straight anyway.”

Soonyoung, a bisexual who doesn’t believe in straight people, rolls his eyes. “How do you know? How many single guys do you know live in an apartment and not at home? I can name a few and they’re all queer.”

Wonwoo doesn’t think that’s a real point. There are probably a dozen reasons Mingyu doesn’t live at home. Probably none of them have to do with his sexual orientation.

“You do think he’s hot though, right?” Soonyoung prods a moment later.

“Yeah,” Wonwoo admits. He turns his focus back to his ramen, ignoring the feeling developing in his chest. “But it doesn’t matter. He’s just a friend.”

“You can’t just give up on love Won. Having a baby doesn’t mean the end of your chances of a happy ending.”

He looks at his daughter. He loves her so much that he really doesn’t care if he never dates again. He’s made his choices in life. He has his dream job. He has a perfect daughter. He has good friends. It’s enough.

“I haven’t given up,” he says softly. “I just don’t think romantic love is a priority anymore. Which is okay.”

Soonyoung throws himself at Wonwoo, wrapping his arms around him and planting a wet kiss on his cheek. “Aw, yes our platonic love is strong. But that doesn’t change the fact you need to get laid. You can’t just make a baby and then call it quits.”

Wonwoo laughs, pushing his best friend off him. “Hey! You know that’s not what happened.”

“Not exactly.”

“You’re wasting yourself,” Soonyoung says. “You’re young, successful, and hot. Some people are probably into the fact you’re a dad. You could be tucking our little sun into bed each night then bending someone else over in the next room. Then tucking them into bed with a kiss too.”

“You’re sick.”

“I’m worried about your dick.”

“Worry about your own dick.”

“Nothing can tame the tiger.”

Wonwoo smacks Soonyoung’s arm. “There is a _child_ present!”

“She’s eleven months old!”

“And?”

Soonyoung lapses back into silence. Clearly thinking. Never a good idea. “I will admit it will be hard to explain the whole baby, baby momma, and grandpa thing.”

“Hard?” Wonwoo echoes, shaking his head. “Try impossible.”

“If someone really loves you, they’ll understand,” Soonyoung says softly. “If they love Misun, they’ll understand.”

Falling in love. It seems so unlikely, Wonwoo can hardly humour his best friend. But Soonyoung means well. He wants the best not just for Wonwoo, but for Misun too. But Wonwoo’s being realistic. Being a single dad is something he expected. He doesn’t mind, not really. Misun makes the hard days worth it.

“You think someone would ever love us?”

“Stranger things have happened.” Soonyoung shrugs. Then laughs, pushing at Wonwoo’s shoulder so he nearly spills his remaining ramen. “I’m teasing. Yes, of course, someone could love you two. I think anyone who got the chance to know you would.”

It’s a nice thought, Wonwoo will admit that. Still. He’s not getting his hopes up. He’s too busy to date anyway. Though, sex would be nice.

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on your own messy romantic life?” He asks, deflecting. “This mess has been going on for so long now.”

Soonyoung’s eyes light up and he sits up straight, suddenly very serious. “Some serious developments have occurred!”

Wonwoo sighs. “Get me a beer then we can discuss.”

+

By the time his midterms are over, the only thing Mingyu has to look forward to is celebrating with his friends. It’ll be good to just let go. Even if he’d like to be sleeping. He’ll do that after all the drinking and dancing though. He needs to celebrate first.

“You sure this is okay?” He asks, turning and looking himself over in the mirror. It’s almost time to leave. They’re supposed to meet Seokmin and Hansol at the bar. And Minghao’s friend. Mingyu needs to hurry up.

Seungkwan is singing Red Velvet in his room. Mingyu wonders if Wonwoo can hear down the hall.

“You look good!” Minghao says from his position in the rolling desk chair, long legs crossed. He doesn’t look up from his phone. He’s in a white shirt with a wide collar openly displaying his chest and a navy pinstripe jacket. Around his long neck is a thick black choker with the English words _bite me_. “Trust me.”

Mingyu glances back at the mirror. He’s wearing tight ripped black jeans and what would be a nice black long sleeve button up, but the front panels are black lace. Which is leaving him feeling quite naked.

The outfit is Minghao’s doing. He’s always impulsively buying beautiful clothing and sometimes they don’t end up fitting him. In this case, it meant this shirt is now Mingyu’s. It’s the kind of thing that looks one way on Minghao’s long and lithe body and quite another way on Mingyu’s fuller frame. His tiddies feel naked.

“Seungkwan!” He calls.

His roommate appears in the doorway a moment later, shirtless and doing up the button of his jeans. “What?” He sniffs the air, looking at both of them, lips pursed discontentedly. “Which one of you smells like how Christina Aguilera looks in Burlesque?”

Mingyu ignores him. Mostly because he doesn’t know the reference. And because Minghao had said the perfume sample wouldn’t be strong. He had clearly _lied_.

“How do I look?”

Seungkwan’s eyes flicker over him quickly, taking in the outfit and the worried tone of the question. He’s used to his best friend. He knows how Mingyu can worry. His gaze then goes to Minghao, who is rolling his own eyes and looking annoyed, less patient. “Good? You look good.”

“Is it too much?”

Seungkwan shrugs. He’s probably not the best judge. He regularly wears Wonder Girls merch. “No, but I mean, if you aren’t comfortable in Minghao’s fancy clothes then don’t wear them. Wear something that makes you feel good and like when people are looking at your drunk ass shaking it, it’s a good thing.”

“Not helpful,” Mingyu says, with a pout. He runs his hands through his hair. “Confidence and like sexiness is not actually my thing if you both have forgotten. Like I know I fake it pretty well, but this is a bit out of my comfort zone.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Minghao comments from his chair, spinning back and forth. “You look good. Regardless of what you wear, okay? You are going to have attention one way or another. Own it.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Seungkwan nods in agreement. His mouth quirks up into a smirk and he raises an eyebrow behind his bangs. “Just have a drink or two before we leave. We all know you’ll be fine with some liquor to soothe your nerves.”

Minghao lets out a high and undignified laugh, finally putting down his phone. It’s one of the best things about him. “It’s true. Drunk hyung, even though it takes a while to get you finally there, is the most fun hyung. That nervous and shy boy who blushes at the mention of his dilf neighbour? He’ll be gone.”

“Shut up.” Mingyu glances at himself in the mirror one last time, taking in the full effect of the outfit, his hair, and the makeup he let Minghao put on. He does look good, but also kind of not like himself. This guy can do all the things his friends say. Confident. This guy can be _that_ bitch. And well, for tonight that guy is him, so he better roll with it.

“You guys almost ready?” Minghao asks, standing up and heading for the kitchen. “I need a drink.”

“I need to find a shirt but yeah, basically. Go and find something for hyung to drink too,” Seungkwan says, heading back to his room, starting up on the red velvet song from earlier.

Twenty minutes and three beers later, Mingyu is following his friends out of the apartment. He is feeling the alcohol, which is something. He doesn’t even really like beer that much, but it’s cheap and easy, so he and Seungkwan usually have it in the apartment. Though, when he goes out to bars and restaurants, he isn’t afraid to try something new and different. He’s rather inclined to the pretty and colourful fruity drinks. If he must get drunk, he might as well do it on something delicious.

“Mingyu!” Calls a familiar deep voice.

He turns at the sound of his name and sees Wonwoo getting out of the elevator, Misun on his hip. Wonwoo is still dressed for work in one of his suits, paired with a crimson tie today. His hair is different though, pushed back off his forehead and making him look older than he’s ever seemed before. More mature. Sexier.

Mingyu grins lopsidedly. Warmth spreads through his chest. But that might be the beer. “Hyung!” he calls, waving a hand in greeting.

“You look…” Wonwoo begins, glancing over him. “Ready for fashion week. Or a very debauched state supper.”

Mingyu glances down at his outfit and shrugs. He doesn’t care as much about it now. “We’re going out to celebrate being done midterms. You know Seungkwan, but this is my other friend Minghao.”

Minghao raises a hand and offers a polite smile and bows. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard _a lot_ about you.”

“Hao, shut up.”

“It’s nice to finally meet your daughter,” Seungkwan says, turning from locking the door to coo at the baby. “Honestly, it was getting suspicious how much hyung has been at your place with no proof of a real baby. But you are _soooo_ cute, I can see why he’s always so eager to see you.” He reaches out and takes Misun’s hand and shakes it while she squeals happily. “And she looks like you! Same eyes and smile.”

“Yup, she’s real,” Wonwoo laughs, the sound low in his chest. “Real enough she has four teeth poking through now.”

“Wow!” Mingyu says, face lighting up. He feels kind of proud, but mostly amazed. Misun is growing in front of him. He feels such an incredible wave of fondness for the little girl, and it’s not just the beer. “She’s getting so big!”

“And she’s almost started to walk. If you hold her hands, she will take clumsy slow steps,” Wonwoo says, grinning as proudly as Mingyu feels. “You’ll have to come over and see her one day. But we better be getting home. Soonyoung is coming by for his baby time.”

Mingyu nods, standing straighter. He tends to make himself smaller, to take up less space. But he’s not entirely sober and between Minghao and Wonwoo who are both tall, he doesn’t need to.

“I will stop by soon,” Mingyu says. “I promise.”

Wonwoo nods, eyes flickering over him once again. “You boys have fun tonight. Don’t drink too much,” he says with fake sternness, gaze stopping when their eyes meet. It doesn’t make Mingyu feel uncomfortable though, he knows he looks good. He is also hyper-aware of the fact that Wonwoo has never seen him looking like this before. All dolled up for the bar.

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Seungkwan says, dropping Misun’s chubby little hand. “We’ll keep an eye on ‘Gyu.”

Minghao and Seungkwan share a conspiratorial smirk.

“Bye, then,” Wonwoo says, heading down the hall. “Call me if you’re hungover and need anything.”

After the door clicks shut, they stand there for a moment in silence before Minghao says, “he really is a dilf, you guys are right.” Then, “you have good taste ‘Gyu.”

“That baby is so damn cute! Her arms have _rolls_! I want to die!” Seungkwan says, heading towards the elevator. “I’m going to offer to babysit instead of you. Those dimples are to die for!”

Mingyu frowns, hitting Seungkwan on the arm in mock horror. “Don’t you dare! I need my Misun time.”

“What about your Wonwoo time?” Minghao asks, lifting a brow, corner of his mouth twitching up.

“Again,” Mingyu says, “shut up, Hao.”

+

The bar is loud, crowded, and poorly lit. Mingyu can feel the beat of the song the DJ is playing in his chest. It smells like cigarettes and spilled booze. He is being pushed on by strangers on all sides, and he’s thankful he’s not one of those tiny girls in heels. It’s a sensory overload and on the verge of too much right now. He isn’t drunk enough for this.

“Junhui!” Minghao calls, reaching an arm high into the air, above the crowd when he spots his friend. He is smiling widely, pushing his way through the mass of bodies, Mingyu and Seungkwan following as best as they can.

“Haohao!” A handsome man replies, turning from where he’s been talking at the bar to wave back. He’s taller than Minghao, almost as tall as Mingyu. And he’s striking to look at, even in this low lighting. He is all careful sharp angles from his jaw to his brows, but has full rounded curves at his mouth, nose, and eyes. There is something distinctly regal about him.

“ _Haohao_ ?” Seungkwan questions, shouting loud above the music. It doesn’t hide his amused tone or the question in it. Minghao is serious, dignified. And he lets _this_ friend call him Haohao?

Minghao ignores him, heading to wrap an arm around his friend, leaving them momentarily behind. It’s a familiar gesture. An intimate one, especially with the knowledge that Minghao is slightly drunk already.

Mingyu and Seungkwan exchange a look.

They’ve both heard Junhui’s name on Minghao’s lips, but always in passing. A mention of who he met for lunch or gone shopping with. Nothing to suggest more. But this isn’t nothing. At least, Mingyu didn’t think it was, and neither does Seungkwan from the way he watches the two of them with a raised brow.

“Gē,” Minghao says, pulling away from his friend to look back at Mingyu and Seungkwan with a sloppy grin. He has a drink in one hand already. “These are my friends I’ve told you about. Seungkwan is the one with the red hair who has a crush on Hansol. And the big sexy oaf is Mingyu, he’s the one who wants to get with a dilf.”

“I’m Junhui,” he says through a _giggle_. He glances back at Minghao who remains attached to him. It’s a surprising sound that takes Mingyu off guard. He wasn’t expecting a man who looks like this to giggle upon introducing himself. He feels slightly akin to him already. 

“You can call me Jun, too. Am I supposed to say who I have a crush on too?”

That makes everyone laugh, and the question is brushed off. Drinks are ordered. Mingyu downs two within a few minutes then orders another.

It isn’t long before Seokmin finds them, his handsome face flushed already. He and Seungkwan scream upon finding each other, nearly stumbling to the floor as they laugh at some inside joke. Mingyu is used to the two of them being like this normally, being drunk just amplifies it.

Again, he finds himself thinking he’s not drunk enough for this. This is just another reason he kind of dislikes being so big. It takes so much longer for him to get tipsy compared to his friends.

Mingyu gets another drink from the bar, something pink and sweet and delicious and apparently highly alcoholic. By the second one, he is giggling along with Junhui, who Minghao still hasn’t let go of.

“Come dance, hyung!” Seungkwan begs, his cheeks flushed already. He looks on his way to being a hot mess, and Mingyu is ready to witness it. He loves Seungkwan dearly but also loves making fun of him the next day, recounting all the foolishness done the previous night.

And Mingyu must finally be drunk because he agrees, following his friends out onto the dance floor. He isn’t focusing on how much space he takes up, how he’s too big to look comfortable in his body, forever awkward. He’s just feeling happy to be with his friends and glad the DJ is playing good music that makes him want to move.

He finishes his drink and finds another. They’re so tasty here, it’s like drinking juice. Fun juice. That makes him want to dance.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Mingyu asks when they find a spot to dance, leaning down towards Seungkwan’s ear so he can hear him over the loud music. “Isn’t he coming?”

“Yeah, he's here already,” Seungkwan shouts back. Then he turns towards the platform where the DJ is. “He’s up there with his friend. They know the DJ.”

Mingyu turns and looks, managing to spot Hansol, who is bobbing along to the music, headphones on over a yellow beanie. Somehow, it’s very on-brand for him, in Mingyu’s limited knowledge of the other boy. That and the tie-dye shirt underneath a suit jacket makes him easy to find once Mingyu knows what he’s looking for. He still doesn’t quite understand Seungkwan’s attraction to Hansol, but they seem happy enough, so he’s not going to question it. Besides, it’s not like he’s in much of a position to judge. The closest thing he has to a crush is _Wonwoo_. At least Seungkwan’s crush is attainable and seemingly mutual.

“I want to meet him!” Seokmin adds. Unsurprisingly, he already has a tiny girl in a satin dress the colour of bubble-gum dancing in front of him, his hands on her hips. Girls _love_ Seokmin. “He seems weird.”

“He is weird,” Seungkwan admits with a shrug, dancing to the beat. “It’s part of his charm.”

The room is starting to spin, all the lights of the club streaming across his vision. He can’t seem to focus, and the floor seems to be swaying. He needs to sit down. He needs to drink some water. He may need some fresh air.

“You good?” Seokmin asks, hands landing on Mingyu’s arm. He manages to nod, but Seokmin still waves goodbye to the girl he was dancing with, leading Mingyu to a booth on the side. “Sit. You look like you’ve had a bit too much. Which, hell, is a lot for you. Your poor wallet.”

Mingyu blinks up at his friend and manages to nod. Sitting is helping. The music is so loud. The neon lights are dancing. “I’m okay.”

“Here,” Minghao says, appearing out of the crowd and setting a glass of water down in front of him. His long black hair is messed up and sweaty, sticking to his forehead. He must have been dancing too. With Junhui. Dirty dancing? Mingyu wants to ask his friend what exactly the nature of his and the other Chinese man’s relationship is, but he isn’t sure he could find the words. Besides, Minghao’s elegant brows are pulled together in concern. Not a good time to ask. “You need to chill for a bit, ‘Gyu.”

“I think I have a crush on Wonwoo hyung,” he says instead, the words coming out a bit more slurred than he’d like. He picks up the water and downs it.

“Who’s Wonwoo?” Seokmin asks.

“His dilf neighbour,” Minghao answers, taking a seat next to Mingyu. He is still sipping on his drink. He sets it down on the table and puts an arm around Mingyu, sighing. “And dude, we all know you have a crush on Wonwoo. It’s like common knowledge.”

Seokmin still looks confused. “Dilf?”

“Hot dad,” Minghao supplies. Seokmin’s mouth forms a round O. “Can you go get him more water?”

Mingyu’s head still is spinning. A nice blurry picture of Wonwoo, smiling at him behind his golden glasses. “I didn’t know.”

“Yes, you did,” Minghao counters. “You’ve just been denying it because you don’t think you have a chance. Trust me, Seungkwan and I have had multiple conversations about this. About you and Wonwoo. And his daughter, frankly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Minghao nods. He is stroking Mingyu’s hair now, comforting him. “And I think that if you really like him you should just tell him. If he shoots you down, then at least you know he’s not interested. You’ll have taken the chance. Don’t just sit and stew in your feelings. Kwan says you’re over at Wonwoo’s all the time. If you don’t tell him now, you’re just going to fall harder and then there are only two options.”

“What are those?” Mingyu asks, taking the second glass of water Seokmin sets down in front of him. He didn’t notice his friend disappearing, but he’s back already, so Mingyu doesn’t feel too bad. At least, not about that.

“You either take the chance now and if things work out. You’re happy. You got you a man and a kid,” Minghao says, rather cheerfully. “Or option two. You don’t tell him how you feel. You bottle it up inside until it eats you. You watch him find someone else. That’ll hurt. Maybe that’ll break you enough for you to finally confess. And what if Wonwoo says he had those feelings too, but not anymore. You wasted time. You lost your chance.”

The first is an ideal, something Mingyu could only dream about. The latter, more realistic. Mingyu doesn’t want to ruin the friendship they do have. He knows Wonwoo probably would never like him. Even if he does like guys, he has a damn kid. He isn’t looking for some university student to add to his busy life full time.

“Ouch,” Seokmin says from the other side of the table.

But telling Wonwoo might be for the best. Even if Wonwoo regrets him, that will at least give Mingyu a reason to get over his crush. It will allow him to move on, redirect his energy and attention from Wonwoo. Because the thing is, Wonwoo has become a constant in Mingyu’s mind. When he wakes him. When he’s on the subway. When he’s eating lunch. Late a night when he’s doing…other things. The crush is clouding Mingyu’s ability to be a good friend.

“I should tell him.” Mingyu manages after a moment. He feels steadier now. Things aren’t blurry. He can think clearly. Or, clearer at the very least. The water is helping. Or maybe the sitting. Or Minghao’s sobering words. “I should tell Wonwoo that I have a crush on him. And that I think he’s a dilf. And that I love his daughter like my own.”

“You should,” Seokmin agrees with a nod. “We want you to be happy.”

Minghao stands, patting Mingyu on the back. “And I want to be happy too, so excuse me as I go and find my man.”

“Your _man_?”

“Junhui. I’ve been working on him for months,” Minghao smirks boldly, running a hand through his hair. Somehow, he manages to turn it from a sweaty kind of gross mess to a hot sexy mess. Mingyu is in awe of his friend’s skill. “Maybe tonight I can finally get laid.”

Seokmin bursts out in laughter, shaking his head. He pulls out his phone, corners of his mouth twitching up into his own version of a smirk as he reads the screen. Which is less devious than Minghao’s, but just as telling. “Speaking of. I have someone looking to take me home. I will see you guys, around? Keep me updated on your dilf, okay?”

Mingyu nods, watching both of his friends disappear into the crowd. People are drunker now, dancing harder, more messily. Hands are roaming, words are carefree, flirtatious, and ungracious.

With the beat of the club still shaking him to his core, Mingyu pulls out his phone. He needs to talk to Wonwoo. He knows it’s a bad idea. You shouldn't text people when drunk. You shouldn’t text your _crush_ when drunk. But he rereads their messages from earlier and wants to say more.

_8:57 pm_

_I’m serious_

_Stay safe_

_9:10pm_

_I will hyung_

_Just for u_

_9:15 pm_

_Ok have fun then mingyu_

_9:17 pm_

_Funner if you were here_

_9:21 pm_

_Funner isnt a word_

_Are you drunk already?_

_9:27 pm_

_A little brb_

He looks at the time now. It’s past midnight. Wonwoo is probably asleep. He won’t see the messages until tomorrow. Which will be a good thing. It will give Mingyu time to think over his words and say what he wants to say without the pressure of getting a response and needing to further explain himself. But then again, what if he regrets it in the morning? He shouldn’t do this drunk.

He glances up and spots Minghao across the club. He has Junhui pushed up against a railing overlooking the dancefloor, their lips connected. Even at a distance, he can see how their bodies push and grind against each other. How one of Minghao’s hands is on Junhui’s ass, pulling him closer and closer, grasping a feel. It’s possessive. It has Mingyu impressed how fast his friend has worked. They look well on the way to Minghao’s goal.

Mingyu doesn’t think he has it in him to confess when sober. He’ll freeze up, blush, and stutter out the wrong words. It has to be now. Keep it simple. Keep it honest. That’s the best he can hope for. The best he can do. He hopes it’s enough.

_1:08am_

_Hyung you know i like you a lot right_

He’s sitting there, staring at his phone, trying to think of what else to say when it vibrates in his hand. He jumps, stares at the message that’s just come through. A quick response. Why? This wasn’t going to plan. _Shit, shit, shit._

_1:09 am_

_Yes i like you too mingyu_

_Shouldnt you be paying attention to your friends?_

Mingyu realizes his error. Wonwoo is up at all hours of the night all the time because of Misun. He should’ve known this quick response was a possibility. Still, this is Mingyu’s chance. And clearly, his message was not clear enough. He needs to be clear.

_1:11 am_

_No like ur a dilf right_

_I like u that way_

_And more_

_They r making out my friends_

_Im not_

_11:12 am_

_A what?_

_Do you need me to come get you? I will_

_1:13 am_

_Hyung i miss u_

_I'm drunk_

Mingyu waits a moment before sending one last message. He needs to be clear. He needs Wonwoo to understand.

_1:14 am_

_I think id still miss u even if wasn’t tho_

+

Wonwoo stares at his phone in confusion. He knows he shouldn’t have responded to Mingyu’s drunk texts, but still. He wasn’t expecting this. He isn’t quite sure what to make of it. Should he be worried?

He’s on the couch in the dark, eating cold pizza from earlier. Soonyoung had brought it with his sleepover bag. Wonwoo’s already been up with Misun twice already. She’s been cranky. Teething, he knows. He’s not sure if there’s more coming though, because every time he tries to stick his finger in her mouth to feel around, she just screams and pulls away. But her cheeks are still awfully rosy, and she’s been a bit fussier, even for Soonyoung who is like her favourite second person after Wonwoo himself. And maybe Mingyu. So, more teething is likely.

He glances back at his phone. He’s kind of worried about Mingyu. Wonwoo wonders if he can in good conscience leave his Mingyu to find his own way home safely. If he’s being honest, Wonwoo kind of worries about Mingyu a lot, inebriated or not. The younger man is a bit of a hot mess, a tall dorky trainwreck if Wonwoo’s ever seen one. He’s clumsy at the best of times. And despite how attuned he can be the other’s emotions around him, always adjusting his own to make sure everyone is happy. Wonwoo has watched Mingyu plow across a playground paying no mind to the other kids and parents just to get to Misun. He doesn’t want to consider the trouble Mingyu might get into when drunk. Maybe he should go rescue him.

Misun is asleep again. Finally. He could leave and come back without her knowing, probably. And Soonyoung is here. He is more worried about Mingyu’s state than anything at this point. He doesn’t think he could fall asleep now, regardless of how tired he is. He needs to be able to know Mingyu’s safely in bed too, he owes his friend that much considering how often he’s been helping with Misun and just being there for him.

_1:16 am_

_Kim Mingyu send me your location_

_I’m on my way_

He heads to his bedroom to quietly tug on his jeans from earlier and pulls a hoodie on over his T-shirt. Then he takes it off, realizing he better dress nice enough for them to let him into the club. And for him not to stick out like a father looking to drag his child home past curfew. Wonwoo opens his wardrobe and takes out a silky red shirt, fingers fumbling with the buttons in the dark.

Then he grabs his leather jacket and puts it on top, needing something warmer. And to look cool if he’s being honest. He hasn’t felt terribly cool lately, going around with a baby strapped to his back and his diaper bag. This quick trip to pick up Mingyu might just be the thing he needs to prove to himself he’s still got it. Not that he’s felt like he’s missing out because of Misun, he was always more of a homebody anyway. He’s still only in his twenties.

Soonyoung doesn’t move the entire time, snoring softly. He’s drooling too, which makes Wonwoo chuckle. He’ll wake up if Misun needs anything. He’s basically her dad too.

Confident in his friend’s child care abilities, Wonwoo heads back out to check his phone. Mingyu’s sent his location. _Good_. And a selfie. Probably not as good.

Wonwoo clicks the photo.

He’s clearly doing his best at posing sexily, but Mingyu looks _drunk._ His dark but transparent shirt that had nearly sent Wonwoo into a coughing fit earlier is sticking to him now with sweat. And his hair is equally damp, sticking up but like, not in a bad way. His eyes look a bit too glassy though, and he’s pouting. With this photo, Wonwoo is glad he’s made the decision to go pick up his neighbour’s - he corrects himself, owing Mingyu that much - his _friend’s_ drunk ass.

Wonwoo grabs the keys to Soonyoung’s car keys from the kitchen counter and slips on his shoes. The app on his phone says it’s only a ten-minute drive. He can get Mingyu home and they can both get some well-earned sleep quickly enough.

_1:22 am_

_Hold tight_

_I will be right there_

_Don’t u dare move_

_1: 25 am_

_Ok hygung <3 _

Wonwoo finds the club easily enough. There are a few cabs outside by the curb waiting to scoop up drunk dancers and take them home. Even from outside on the street, the bass of the club music can be heard, only slightly muffled. There are lights too, the colourful moving kind that is synced up with the muted beat from inside.

And it reeks like cigarettes, amplified by a group of young people passing him, heading home for the night.

It’s late enough (early enough?) that Wonwoo doesn’t have to wait in any lines or pay any cover to get inside. All he has to do is go up to the bouncer and flash his ID - which is flattering because he’s a damn _dad_ now - and he tells the guy who looks like an Asian Wario as much. The bouncer doesn’t think it’s funny. Still, he moves the rope for Wonwoo to pass by and go inside.

It’s even louder inside. Deafeningly loud. And dark.

He stands near a railing on the top floor, looking around, scoping for Mingyu or a familiar friend of his. These are peak hours. It’s crowded on the dance floor and in front of the bars, bodies pressed tightly together, the mass seemingly breathing in and out as one with the beat of the blaring music.

Mingyu had taken Seungkwan, who Wonwoo knew by sight well with his red hair and round cheeks. But what had Seungkwan been wearing? Wonwoo tried to remember – a striped shirt? He hadn’t been paying attention as much to the others, his focus had been Mingyu and his bare torso. Honestly, he thought Mingyu wasn’t the type to go out with his nipples on display, but maybe Mingyu had more side to him Wonwoo just hadn’t seen yet.

Mingyu had also introduced a new friend, the Chinese one. Minghao. He was tall too, but lithe, with long shaggy black hair. He’d been wearing a white shirt and jacket. It was just very chic to Wonwoo, who had turned into someone who wears a rotation of business suits for work and baby-stained hoodies and t-shirts for home.

If he was being honest, he’s impressed by Mingyu and his friends. They are young and carefree; know they are beautiful and don’t care what you had to say. It is admirable.

Finally, he spots Seungkwan’s red hair up on the platform with the DJ. He’s not dancing, but has his arms up in the air, hyping the music and seemingly quite into it. Wonwoo doesn’t know how or why he’s up there, but he doesn’t see Mingyu’s tall frame with him. It’s a start though.

He struggles to cut through the crowd, even on the edges. He has to push his way through the throng of hot and sweaty bodies. He’s jostled about, despite being taller than most of them. There are just too many people.

When he finally makes it to the DJ’s platform Wonwoo can hardly think the music is so loud. He starts to climb up, waving his arm trying to get Seungkwan’s attention.

“Seungkwan!”

It takes a few times and several dirty looks from partiers, but finally, Seungkwan spots him and runs over.

“Hyung!” He screams over the music. “What are you doing here?”

“Where’s Mingyu?” Wonwoo calls back, following Seungkwan off the platform and to what is hopefully a quieter part of the club. Which turns out to be the bathrooms. “I’m here to pick up Mingyu,” he finally manages, the thumping of the bass cut off by the closing of the bathroom door.

“Oh, yeah, hyung’s _really_ drunk,” Seungkwan says with an overly animated nod. Seungkwan is also drunk, Wonwoo realizes. The other boy’s cheeks are as rosy as Misun’s, and he can’t seem to stay still, bouncing from foot to foot. Seungkwan slaps a hand to his mouth dramatically. “But you’re here to pick him up? Oh my god!”

“Yes, Seungkwan. Where is he?”

“That’s so sweet! Like, what a gesture. Mingyu-hyung is a sap for a reason,” Seungkwan continues, ignoring the question. His hand goes from his mouth to slapping Wonwoo’s arm. “But like, this is _good_. That you care is good. No one ever bothers to take care of hyung because they think because he looks the way he does he can take care of himself. But let me tell you, mister Jeon,” Seungkwan slaps his arm again for emphasis. Wonwoo thinks he may have a bruise in the morning. “My best friend needs taking care of. As much as he likes taking care of others, he wants to be taken care of just as much. Like, emotionally, that boy is a mess. He needs someone to see him as needing saving for once, instead of leaving him to fight the dragon with a sword and hoping for the best. Let me tell you, that boy doesn’t know what to do with a sword and he can’t kill a fly let alone a dragon.”

Wonwoo blinks at him. “Is the sword thing a metaphor? Like, phallically?”

“We need to go find Mingyu-hyung,” Seungkwan says, seemingly remembering the true issue at hand. He looks down, smiling a bit sheepishly. “He was really drunk last time I saw him. He was really going through it tonight like, _emotionally_ , I don’t know. But,” he pauses, heading towards the door, “Seokmin was taking care of him. But I think he went home with some girl a bit ago. I told them to give hyung lots of water, so he should be fine. ‘Gyu can[2] really hold his liquor, but I think he’s swallowed a sea tonight.”

Wonwoo groans, following Seungkwan out the bathroom door and back out into the club. It bothers him that his worries about Mingyu were well-founded. Worry is still churning in his gut. He’ll feel better when Mingyu’s in his sight, regardless of how drunk he may be. Wonwoo can take care of him. Take him home.

Seungkwan’s red hair is easy to follow in the dim lighting of the club. He seems to know where Mingyu is, weaving through the dancing bodies with practiced skill and ease. Wonwoo follows less gracefully. He gets at least one elbow to the rib and his feet stepped on multiple times.

Finally, they make it to a back-corner booth and Mingyu is sipping on water, his arms wrapped around his long legs. His hair is a mess like in the photo, but now it looks like he’s tried fixing it and given up. He looks tired, his gaze is a bit unfocused.

Wonwoo lets out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

“Look who I found!” Seungkwan says too happily. Whether it be the alcohol or put on for Mingyu’s benefit, it’s unclear.

Mingyu looks up and sees them, his whole face lighting up. He jumps up, spilling his water on the floor. Wonwoo can’t even be upset at his clumsiness because the floor of the club has certainly seen worse. Besides, he’s too relieved to see Mingyu.

“Hyung!” Mingyu squeals, throwing himself at Wonwoo. Swaying, he wraps his arms around Wonwoo’s tiny waist and pulls him close, hugging him. It’s shockingly affectionate and familiar. Wonwoo doesn’t know where this side of his friend has come from. The alcohol presumably. He’s worse than Soonyoung, the resident clingy bitch in Wonwoo’s life. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming to save your drunk ass,” Wonwoo chuckles lowly, struggling to look down at the younger man who is still holding him tight, head on Wonwoo’s shoulder. “Do you not remember texting me?” His hands find their way to Mingyu’s hips, holding him steady. “Were you not sitting here looking sad and lonely waiting for me? Or did you have someone else in mind?”

The teasing goes over his head. Wonwoo doesn’t mind. “My Prince Charming,” Mingyu giggles, pulling back enough to look at Wonwoo with big brown eyes and a crooked smile. His perfectly imperfect teeth are on display, and it does nothing but add to his charm. His breath is hot on Wonwoo’s ear, needing to be so close to be heard and ask softly, “will you be waking up with a kiss?”

Something twists in Wonwoo’s chest. He ignores it. “Let’s get you home to bed and asleep first,” he says, looking Mingyu over, checking his well-being. He looks okay. Sweaty and drunk, but fine after some water, sleep, and a shower. “Ask me again in the morning when you’re sober. If you remember.”

“I won’t forget something like that, hyung,” Mingyu says, suddenly serious.

Wonwoo laughs nervously, taking a step towards the exit, Mingyu still hanging on him. They need to get home. “Okay, time to go.”

“Bye, Kwannie,” Mingyu calls, waving at his friend who waves back quickly before disappearing back into the dance floor. “His _boyfriend_ is here,” Mingyu says with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

“Boyfriend?”

Mingyu nods, allowing himself to be led easily out of the club and onto the street. “Boyfriend.”

It’s cooler outside, the air hitting Wonwoo’s face like a much-needed drink of water. Which is something Mingyu could probably use about now. Soonyoung will have water in the car.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Mingyu asks, his words slurring together. He stops momentarily, moving from his one arm around Wonwoo’s shoulder to wrapping them both around his waist, bending down, resting his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder again. He’s basically hanging off Wonwoo, as if ready to jump on for a piggyback. He doesn’t move to jump on though, just kind of hangs there, tired.

Wonwoo wants to let out a laugh, explain as adults, as _friends_ to Mingyu that no, he doesn’t have any problems with boys with boyfriends. Or girls with girlfriends for that matter. He knows it’s a delicate topic for a lot of people. But Wonwoo is past dealing with matters like this behind closed doors, he wants to be straight forward as he can. He could even add in a clever anecdote about how Soonyoung has been chasing the same boy for literally _years_ , but they somehow haven’t made it out of the enemies’ stage of their enemies to lovers’ story, despite having hate sex every few months. Which is great, according to Soonyoung, though since he didn’t want to know that he doubts Mingyu would want to know. Wonwoo has received several overly detailed accounts of Soonyoung’s sex life and he’s never been able to look at Jihoon the same since.

Wonwoo says none of this though. It’s not the time. Maybe when they’re both sober and he can offer a cup of coffee to have with some baking that Mingyu supplies. Because that’s where they are in their friendship. His apartment always has baked goods because of Mingyu, and his daughter screams happily whenever he comes over, which is becoming more and more frequent.

Mingyu’s become a constant in his life without him even noticing. If he left now, he’d leave a giant puppy-sized hole. Wonwoo doesn’t even like dogs but he’d still be upset.

“No,” Wonwoo says honestly, helping Mingyu into the car. He flops down ungracefully into the front seat, long limbs not knowing where to go. “I don’t have a problem with that. Trust me.”

“Oh,” Mingyu says softly, after a moment. He then begins struggling with the seatbelt and Wonwoo has to hold back his laughter. Mingyu being good at everything is cancelled out by alcohol. Good to know. “That’s good, hyung. Really great.”

Wonwoo gets into the driver’s seat and then hands the other boy a water bottle from the center console. “Drink that.” He puts the car in drive and is already thinking about crawling in bed next to Soonyoung. He’ll probably be asleep before his head hits the pillow. He’s gotten to the point where he probably loves, and values sleep as much as Mingyu. Having a baby will do that to a person.

“Are you excited to sleep?” Wonwoo asks.

“Very.”

“Are you going to sleep all day tomorrow?”

Mingyu sighs dreamily, leaning his head indelicately against the window with a thud. The alcohol in his system is making him clumsier than usual. “I sure hope so.” Then, “you know I really do like you a lot, hyung.”

He’s driving carefully, but still, Wonwoo glances over, wetting his lips. He isn’t sure what to make of that statement, but drunk Mingyu keeps repeating it. He pulls up to their building and shuts off the car. “I like you too, ‘Gyu. So does Misun.”

“ _Nooo_ ,” Mingyu whines, struggling with his seatbelt again as he tries to get out of the car. “Stop hiding behind your daughter. She’s too cute and tiny, leave her out of this.”

Wonwoo shuts his door and walks around to help Mingyu up, as the younger man has ended up on his knees on the sidewalk. Wonwoo chuckles, grabbing Mingyu’s arms and pulling him up as best as he can. “You’re ridiculous.”

“ _Hyuuung_ ,” Mingyu whines again, resting his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder, despite how uncomfortable it probably is. He’s so big, yet makes himself, or at least tries, seem so tiny. It’s kind of cute. But still, with all the slurring and his lack of filter, Wonwoo realizes the younger man must be really tired and quite inebriated. “Nooo, not like that. I mean the dilf thing. I like you that way, remember?”

Wonwoo quirks a brow while they wait for the elevator. He thought Mingyu forgot about their texts. “Yeah, what is a dilf?”

“A hot dad,” Mingyu says, sounding a bit defeated. “A dad I’d like to fuck.”

Wonwoo snorts. He hadn’t been expecting that. “Wow, ‘Gyu, I’m flattered.”

His talk with Soonyoung flashes through his mind. Mingyu’s words replay in his head. Mingyu likes him. Mingyu would want to fuck him, despite Wonwoo being a dad. This also means Mingyu isn’t straight. He feels bad at this knowledge slipping out only when Mingyu is drunk. There’s a power imbalance in the conversation when he’s sober and Mingyu is anything but. Still, the small bud of flattery, of hope, blooms in Wonwoo’s chest.

He wraps an arm around Mingyu and directs them towards the elevator. He decides to redirect the conversation. “So, are all of your friend’s gay?”

“No,” Mingyu mumbles. “Just most of them. Queer. Like calls to like I guess.”

Chuckling as he presses the button for their floor, Wonwoo can’t help but agree. He had his own life experience for reference. What was the likelihood that both he and his best friend were bisexual? Maybe like does call to like. “So, back to the dilf thing. I have a question?”

The elevator hums softly as it moves.

“Hmm?”

“The whole hot dad thing. Does being a dad make someone hotter, do you think?”

“What?”

“Soonyoung and I were discussing it the other day.” Wonwoo leads Mingyu into the hall when the doors open. He might as well have this discussion with his friend sloshed, he probably won’t remember it tomorrow anyway. This small amusement will make up for the fact Wonwoo has gone and rescued the other’s drunk ass. “Do you think being a dad has its own sexy appeal?”

Mingyu laughs through a wide yawn. His breath smells sweet and highly alcoholic. “Yeah. Maybe. I think it depends on the dad. I think the appeal is the mature control. Being taken care of by someone who’s experienced, you know?” They stop in front of Mingyu’s apartment door. “Hyung?”

“Yes?”

“Seungkwan doesn’t trust me with keys when I’m drunk.”

“You don’t have keys?”

Turning to look at Wonwoo with big sad eyes, Mingyu shakes his head. He looks like he may cry. “No. I’m sorry.”

Not bothering to give it another moment of consideration, Wonwoo steers them down two more doors to his apartment. He at least has keys, manages to unlock the door quickly despite Mingyu’s weight on him. “Shhh. Remember, Misun is sleeping.” The last thing he wants to do is for her to wake up. It would probably take another hour and more Tylenol to get her to go back down.

Mingyu nods rapidly. “Never wake a sleeping baby. I know, hyung.”

They only turn on one light, not wanting to chance disturbing Soonyoung or Misun. The poor lighting and the heaviness of a clumsy drunk Mingyu makes things complicated.

They stagger and sway side to side through the apartment until they reach the living room, which luckily isn’t too far. Wonwoo drops Mingyu onto the couch like a sack of potatoes, and the other man just lays there, smiling lazily, gaze unfocused.

Wonwoo decides he can’t just leave him like that. So, he kneels and helps Mingyu undo the buttons of his shirt, peeling the sweaty sheer fabric off him.

“Gosh hyung,” Mingyu giggles as Wonwoo pulls an arm out of a sleeve. “Buy me dinner first.”

Drunk Mingyu is entertaining in a way sober Mingyu isn’t. Sober Mingyu would never _flirt_. This side of him is cute and completely entertaining.

“I have,” Wonwoo smirks as he drapes the shirt over the back of the couch. He tries not to notice how attractive Mingyu is in the low lighting, all softly toned honey skin that seems to go on for miles. “Want your pants off?”

“Hyung!” Mingyu giggles some more, face flushed. For once it seems not out of embarrassment or shyness, only booze.

Rolling his eyes, Wonwoo sighs. He can’t even be mad. It would be impossible to be mad at Mingyu, let alone adorable drunk Mingyu. He’s so endearing. “I’m just saying I hate sleeping in pants. Up to you.”

Lips curling into a pout, Mingyu considers this. Finally, he reaches and undoes the button on his jeans. “Okay, hyung. But I just want to let you know it’s usually harder to get me out of my clothes. I’m not that kind of man. I’m shy.”

“I know,” Wonwoo says through a smile. And he does. Despite being model-esque, sober Mingyu can hardly take a compliment without blushing. Wonwoo doesn’t doubt that it takes a while for him to get to the bedroom in any relationship. “That’s what I like about you.”

That makes Mingyu blush deep enough to be seen in the low light. Then he’s kicking his legs out and Wonwoo is pulling on his stupid ripped jeans, which are ridiculously tight. Maybe when Mingyu says it’s hard to get him out of his clothes he means this.

Finally, Mingyu is laying on the couch with his legs spread wide wearing only black boxers and a shit-eating grin. Wonwoo tries not to stare. Mingyu is his friend, albeit, a friend who thinks he’s a hot dad, which is flattering but doesn’t really mean much coming from drunk lips.

Quietly, Wonwoo goes into his bedroom and grabs a blanket. Soonyoung is still fast asleep. When he returns to the living room Mingyu is laying down, almost too long for the couch, all long legs and gently curving muscle. He covers Mingyu with the blanket, shaking his head when the other man smiles up at him fondly, not unlike Misun when she’s tired.

“Hyung?”

“Yes?”

“Can I have a goodnight kiss?”

Wonwoo laughs, then internally chastises himself because they’re supposed to be quiet. “You’re drunk, Mingyu.”

“I know,’ Mingyu whispers back, eyes wide and sincere. “But I still want a kiss. You kiss Misun goodnight.”

“Misun is a baby.”

“I thought you said we’re both big babies.”

Wonwoo had forgotten about that. Well, he can’t fight with that logic. “Okay, fine. Then you promise to go right to sleep?”

Mingyu shakes his head in a rapid nod, fingers wrapping around the edges of the blanket.

With a fond shake of his head, Wonwoo leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Mingyu’s forehead and then pushes back his hair. “See you in the morning.” Then he retreats towards his bedroom.

“ _Hyung_ ,” Mingyu stage whispers from beneath the blanket.

Wonwoo pauses in the doorway to his bedroom and lets out a yawn. “What?”

“I miss you.”

“I’m just in my room,” Wonwoo says. “I’ll leave my door open, okay.”

“Okay.” Mingyu nods. Then, “ _hyung_.”

“Yes?”

“I like you.”

Something inside Wonwoo twists again. He swallows hard. “I know. I like you too. Now, it’s time for sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Wonwoo strips out of his clothes, and as predicted, is asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow. It’s easy when he knows everyone he cares about is safe.

+

Late the next morning Mingyu wakes on the Jeon’s couch feeling like his forehead has been reattached to his cranium using a nail gun. His mouth Sahara dry and his bladder is aching insistently. He rolls off the couch, long legs tangled in a blanket covered in cartoon cats, and lands on the floor with an undignified thud.

He lays there for a moment. “Fuck.” He never gets drunk like last night. What the hell had he been thinking?

But he really does need to pee. It’s a low shaky walk to the bathroom and he’s grateful there’s no one around to see. Wonwoo’s bedroom door is still open, but Misun’s is closed.

He’s still peeing when Soonyoung walks in and picks up a toothbrush from beside the sink, squeezes out toothpaste, and sticks it in his mouth. Misun appears in the doorway a moment later, dressed for the day in a green onesie with a turtle on the belly.

He’s still peeing when Soonyoung turns to him as if finally noticing Mingyu’s tall, urinating frame. “Oh. Hey.”

Mingyu is thankfully done peeing as he manages to reply with a hoarse, “hi.”

Soonyoung looks down at his dick and nods once. “When did you get here?”

Mingyu is too hungover for this weirdness. He quickly tucks himself away and then leans against the wall for support. “Late last night. Early this morning.”

Soonyoung nods, continuing to brush his teeth. He spits into the sink as Misun crawls over to him and grabs his leg, pulling herself up on wobbly legs. She looks steadier on her feet than Mingyu. “Did you have a fun night?” Soonyoung asks. “You smell flammable. I can practically see the alcohol vapours pouring off you.”

“I think so,” Mingyu blinks, his memories from the night are like pieces of a puzzle spread out on a table. He’s still putting them back together. “I was celebrating being done midterms. I don’t… I don’t remember how Wonwoo got there. I remember him being there. But the details are a bit fuzzy.”

Soonyoung laughs, amused. He opens the cabinet and pulls out a bottle of painkillers and holds them. “Take these. You should shower before Won sees you. It would ruin your hot neighbour image.”

Mingyu’s head is throbbing so it takes him a second for the words to sink in. “Hot neighbour?”

“Yeah,” Soonyoung nods, bending down and scooping Misun up into his arms. “He thinks you’re hot, if a little dorky. I think he likes you better for being dorky, so don’t worry. You better clean up, pretty boy.”

Stomach rolling, Mingyu briefly wonders if it’s rude to throw up in another person’s shower. That would surely ruin any chances of Wonwoo ever finding him attractive. The memory of deciding to tell Wonwoo about his crush flickers in his mind.

“Okay,” Mingyu says, sure he really is going to throw up now. “I’ll shower.”

“Wave to oppa!” Soonyoung tells Misun, and smiling, showing off four tiny front teeth, she does. Mingyu’s heart swells, even as bile rises in his throat.

He takes the pain killer, then shoves his head into the basin and swallows several undignified mouthfuls of tap water. He doesn’t end up puking in the shower. The hot water helps, and he scrubs the makeup and mistakes from last night off his skin. He tries to focus on the fact he’s using Wonwoo’s shower things. He doesn’t want to think about how nice it will be to smell like the older man. That’s wrong. When he glances down at the cute bottle of baby shampoo and collection of rubber duckies in the corner, he’s reminded why it’s wrong. Why there’s no point yearning after someone who will never want you back.

At some point Soonyoung peaks in and tosses a fluffy bathrobe onto the floor, calling that there’s coffee ready.

Mingyu’s feeling significantly better by the time he steps out in the bathrobe, though he still feels far from fine. Misun and Soonyoung are at the table eating fruit. Wobbly, Mingyu goes and pours himself a cup of coffee then collapses into a chair.

“How are you feeling?”

He takes a sip of the coffee. “I think I’m still drunk.”

Soonyoung laughs, not unkindly. “Shit, that’s kind of impressive for someone your size.”

“I don’t normally drink that much.”

“What was the occasion?”

Misun screams suddenly, and when both men look at her expectantly, she stops then grins.

“You’re lucky you’re cute, little sun,” Mingyu tells her, shaking his head. His headache is ebbing, but he’s in no mood for any loud noises. “And I wrote my last midterm yesterday. But I don’t know why I drank so much. That was stupid.”

“We all do stupid things when we’re in love,” Soonyoung sighs dreamily. He reaches over and pokes Misun’s round cheek affectionately.

Mingyu frowns into his cup of coffee. “I’m not in love. I wish.”

“Ah!” Soonyoung says. “You’re single! How is a handsome guy like you single?”

He shrugs.

“You know, Wonwoo is single,” Soonyoung says, nodding his head towards the bedroom.

Mingyu narrows his eyes, confused. “Okay?”

Soonyoung shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s hard dating when you have a kid.”

Mingyu doesn’t know where the other man is going with this. He barely knows Soonyoung. And he’s hungover. Lacking tact, whether it be from exhaustion or hungover, Mingyu decides he might as well ask the question he’s been begging to since he met Wonwoo. “How come he’s single?”

“He and Misun’s mum were never together,” Soonyoung says. “Not really. A business deal baby isn’t unheard of, but it’s still strange. It’s a good thing our little sun is so cute, isn’t it? Yeah, it makes it all worth it.” He reaches out and pokes at Misun’s belly until she squeals with delight.

Mingyu really must still be drunk because he can’t seem to make sense of what Soonyoung just said. He blinks. He takes another sip of his coffee. It still doesn’t make sense. What the fuck is Soonyoung talking about?

Just then his phone rings from the living room. God, he had forgotten about his phone.

When he retrieves it from the pocket of his jeans, he sees it’s Seungkwan calling. “Hello?”

“Oh good,” Seungkwan says cheerily. “You’re alive.”

“Barely.”

“Where are you?”

“Wonwoo’s. Where are you?”

“In my bed with Hansol.”

Mingyu scrunches up his nose. “TMI.”

“How did it go with our dilf neighbour?”

“What do you mean?” Mingyu asks, confused. “I don’t even remember why Wonwoo-hyung came and got me. I just woke up on his couch.”

“Oh shit,” Seungkwan laughs. “Last night you decided you wanted to confess to him.”

Another wave of nausea rolls over Mingyu, his cheeks heating. “I did _what_?”

“Yeah, you said you wanted to confess and you two were texting. Then he was at the bar and was bringing you home,” Seungkwan says. “Do you really not remember?”

Heart hammering in his chest, Mingyu shakes his head. Then he remembers he’s on the phone. “No.” Shit, shit, _shit_. It’s then that Wonwoo wanders out of his bedroom wearing shorts and a big shirt. “I got to go. I’ll be home soon, bye.”

“Bye!”

Wonwoo grins at him as he passes, heading for the bathroom. “You look in surprisingly good shape.”

“I showered.”

“I guessed as much,” Wonwoo says, pointing at the robe.

The blush on Mingyu’s face deepens. “Oh. Uh, Soonyoung gave it to me. I’ll wash it before returning it, hyung.”

Wonwoo just laughs at him and shuts the bathroom door.

Overwhelmed by the new information of his night, Mingyu shakily goes and sits down at the table. He finishes his coffee as Misun finishes her fruit.

Not long after Wonwoo emerges and pours himself coffee and takes a seat. He presses a kiss into Misun’s forehead and then reaches down to tickle her. “How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?” He asks as she gurgles out drooly laughter. “Ten tickles!”

Soonyoung lets out a delighted laugh at the lame joke. Mingyu wishes he didn’t find Wonwoo being affectionate with his daughter so endearing. He needs serious help.

But Mingyu can’t stay here much longer. He’s ready to retreat to his apartment, but he needs to ask one question. Just one. Then he can decide if he’ll ever be able to show his face here again.

“Hyung?”

“Hmm?” Wonwoo asks, sipping his coffee. His hair is messy and there’s stubble above his lip. He looks painfully handsome, in a just-woke-up-dilf kind of way.

“Did I uh…say anything weird last night?”

Wonwoo raises a brow. “Define weird.”

Mingyu swallows hard. “I don’t know…like say anything I might normally….not?”

“I always say when we’re drunk, we just say the things we normally think but are too afraid to say,” Soonyoung chimes in, unhelpfully.

“Hmm, a bit yeah,” Wonwoo says after a moment. “But don’t worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

Mingyu definitely made a fool of himself last night and Wonwoo is just too kind to tell him. “Ah, okay. Well, I better get going. Thanks for everything.”

He kisses Misun’s cheek and does a very undignified run to his apartment in Wonwoo’s bathrobe. When Seungkwan opens the door he hoots in laughter, but Mingyu ignores him, carrying his clothes into his room, horrified.

He’s even more horrified when he reads his texts to Wonwoo from the night before. God, he will miss Misun.

**Author's Note:**

> Regarding the architecture thing i would recommend [this](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/27/architects-diversity-cities-designed-mothers) article to learn more
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/wizardwonu)


End file.
